


The Sweetest Gifts

by zeppelinandunicorns



Category: That '70s Show
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Don't worry, F/M, Fluff, Parenthood, Post-Season/Series 08 Finale, hyde is a softie when it comes to his girls, no angst in here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-18 00:47:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 24,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29601267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zeppelinandunicorns/pseuds/zeppelinandunicorns
Summary: Ever wondered how Jackie and Hyde would be like as parents?This is mainly a fluffy story that narrates their journey through parenthood.
Relationships: Eric Forman/Donna Pinciotti, Jackie Burkhart/Steven Hyde, Kitty Forman/Red Forman, Michael Kelso/Brooke Rockwell, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 56
Kudos: 61





	1. Layla Katherine Hyde

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I've been working on this story for months, the idea just popped up randomly on my mind in the middle of the night and I literally spent that whole night writing.
> 
> Normally, I hate considering the whole season 8 as canon, I really, really do, but in this story, it was kind of necessary.
> 
> This story is part of a series. I plan on writing one-shots of moments of this universe that is yet to be named (like sweet moments from Jackie's pregnancies and bonding moments with their kids) and I do have a big story in the works. I can't say much about that story because I really don't want to spoil it, but it's about the whole gang and their kids, and season 8 is canon because it's important for that story.
> 
> This work will have exactly three chapters and I will post them weekly. Don't worry, it won't interfere with the updates of WTLB and RYLH, this story is already complete. Each chapter will be about one kid, and I really hope you guys like it. I'm very emotionally attached to this universe that I've created.
> 
> I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it.

** Layla Katherine Hyde **

_Friday, April 18, 1981_

She stared in disbelief at the tiny stripe of paper in her hand. In normal circumstances, she would've never come close to anything that had direct contact with pee, even if it was her own, but those were desperate times.

Two very bright pink lines. In all the 8 tests she bought at the drugstore.

Yep, she's definitely pregnant.

Her eyes filled with tears. This can't be happening, not right now.

She and Steven got back together 6 months ago. After almost a year trying to prove to her that he's worthy of her and truly regrets his actions, she took him back.

After all the pain of 1979, Jackie decided to leave it all behind. Her relationship with Fez lasted exactly one week, he was a good friend, but he didn't love her and she didn't love him. So, in February of 1980, she decided to leave Point Place for good. She called the old producers in Chicago, sent some tapes from the show she recorded with Christine St. George, and they loved it. They offered her another job on the spot and she took it without even thinking twice. The only people lucky enough to receive a goodbye from her were Mr. and Mrs. Forman and Fez. And even then, it was in the form of a letter.

She was okay for a while, but she was lonely. She kept in touch with the Forman’s and Fez, Kitty called once a week, and she often commented about how Steven was sad and mopey since she left. She couldn't lie to herself, she missed him. Every single day since she gave him that ultimatum, she missed him. But her Steven was gone, and for 6 months she had to tolerate _Hyde._

Steven would never have done the things Hyde did. He would've never hurt her like Hyde did.

She figured that if he was sad, it was probably because he missed his favorite punching bag, he missed having someone to humiliate and degrade every day. So, one day, she told Mrs. Forman that, and asked her not to talk about Steven again.

Imagine her surprise when she heard a knock on her door a week after that phone call and saw him standing there, with flowers and a box of chocolates.

She was speechless for a few seconds, and he took the opportunity to apologize for everything he had done. He told her that he still loved her and that he missed her. Tears of anger were leaving her eyes, and once she regained her power of speech, she told him to shove his apologies up his ass, along with his candy and flowers.

Just the sight of him holding flowers made her sick at the time. He never bothered to buy her flowers in all the two years they'd spent together, but she knew all about the day he bought flowers for _Sam._ Red stole them in the end, but he still did it. She cried herself to sleep that day.

She yelled at him, because how dare he think so low of her? Had he actually assumed that after everything that he'd done, she would've taken him back because he apologized and gave her presents? She was no longer fifteen, she thought he knew her better than that.

Instead of yelling back, he told her that he wouldn't give up on her, kissed her forehead, and said he would be at her door every single day until she talks to him.

And he kept his promise. Every single day for a week, he was at her door, begging for her to talk with him. Then he said the magic words: 

_'I understand if you don't take me back, doll. But I can't stand the thought of you hating me, I want to fucking die every time I remember that you think I never loved you.'_

After she heard those words, she started to cry her eyes out and opened the door for him. Because she understood that he wasn't doing this for selfish reasons, he wasn't doing this because he wants her back and that's it. He was doing this because he knew that hating him was slowly killing her.

After his first encounter with WB, they were having one of their deep conversations, laying together on his cot, and he asked her why she was so quick to forgive people. She's forgiven her mother, Kelso, and him after the nurse incident. She explained to him that she hates being angry at people who mean a lot to her, that hating people is emotionally exhausting and that she feels awful when she keeps reminiscing on hate and anger.

That night was rough for both of them. He told her how deeply sorry he was for everything that happened, and she believed him. She told him about how much he hurt her, and how she never thought he would be able to do the things he did: calling her a bitch, letting her fall into a freezing creek, calling her a whore, and more. Then she saw something she never thought she would ever see: Steven Hyde was crying. He was crying over all the pain and ' _what we could've been if we weren't so fucking stupid'_ , because he was _'Fucking miserable since the day you left for Chicago the first time'_ and because _'Love isn't enough to describe how I feel about you, when we weren't together everything went grey and my life became trash, so I took it out on you and I will regret that for the rest of my life'._

They yelled and they cried together. In the end, he hugged her tight and asked if she would ever be able to be with him again one day. Her answer was simple, but it was what changed everything: _'Maybe'._

That _'Maybe'_ was enough to make him leave Point Place behind and move to Chicago to be near her. Because a _'maybe'_ wasn't a no, and that was good enough for him.

He started to manage the Grooves from Chicago and moved to a small apartment near the store. They became friends, and she started to trust him again. After 8 months of friendship, she kissed him on his birthday and they were boyfriend and girlfriend again.

They've been living together for two months. Things were good between them, and now she's pregnant.

She dropped to the floor and buried her face on her hands while she sobbed. This wasn't how things were supposed to be. She had always wanted to be a mother, but not at 20 years old!

God, and what about her job? She was a pregnant and unmarried 20 year old girl working on television, she can be fired over this. The grand majority of her audience were middle aged conservative women.

She would definitely get fired.

After crying for 20 whole minutes, she threw all the used pregnancy tests in the trash and washed her hands. She would tell Steven when he comes home from work, she just didn't feel the need to show him one of her "pee sticks". She's a freaking lady and that was beyond gross.

She didn't even bother checking herself in the mirror, she knew she looked bad, but for the first time in her life, she didn't care.

She left the bathroom and went to the living room. Maybe she should start to work on the story she's preparing about the ins and outs of fashion from the 80s. Then she remembered she's probably not going to have a job next week, so why bother.

She sat on the couch and tried to distract herself by watching TV, but it wasn't working. The minute she saw that Little House on the Prairie was on she started to bawl her eyes out. This show is all about family and love, Steven loves to watch it with her, it's his guilty pleasure.

When Hyde finally came home from work, he could hear her muffled sobs through the door and he quickly got his keys and barged inside the apartment. His girlfriend was curled up on the couch, her body was shaking with uncontrollable sobs and his heart stopped. 

He ran into her and grabbed her face in his hands "Jackie, are you okay? What's going on? Are you hurt?" He asked desperately

"Oh, Steven" That was all she said before wrapping her arms around him. He pulled her to his lap and held her tight. It's what he always does when she's upset, he holds her tight and whispers comforting words in her ear until she calms down.

Her sobs started to subside after a while, and he was still extremely worried because she hadn't said a thing.

"Baby, are you okay?" He asked

Her answer was another round of sobs, he glued their foreheads together and stared deeply into her eyes.

"Jackie, what's going on? You're starting to freak me out a little"

She took a deep breath, and prepared herself to give him the news that would change the rest of their lives. She wasn't planning on being a crying mess when she tells him, but it's not like she can go to the bathroom and fix herself up before dropping the bomb.

"I'm pregnant" She blurted, and felt his hands dropping from her face.

She closed her eyes, she's already panicked enough as it is, seeing him freaking out would probably only make her panic more. Steven has changed, but once a commitment-phobe…

"Huh" He mumbled, it seemed like he was speechless.

A few seconds had passed and she felt herself being hugged. She opened her eyes and he was… Smiling?

He kissed her and she was extremely confused. Did she finally manage to make him go nuts? She didn't know what his reaction was going to be like, but she definitely wasn't expecting this.

"God, when I saw you crying like that… you scared the shit out of me woman, I thought you were sick or someone died" He said, kissing the top of her head and holding her tight. Her head was buried in his chest but she could hear the smile on his voice if that makes any sense.

She lifted her head and looked up at him. He was still smiling.

"Steven…" She eyed him suspiciously "Why are you not freaking out?" 

"Do you want me to freak out?" He asked

"God no, but I just assumed…" She started and he interrupted her

"That I would act like an ass?" He completed her sentence for her, and she nodded

"Don't take this the wrong way, I knew you weren't going to run away or something like that, but I just assumed you were going to be… zen" She explained, and he chuckled

"I'm not that guy anymore doll" He said "I mean, it's unexpected and all, but… it was going to happen one day"

"Yeah, but we were supposed to be married, and be more financially stable, and…" She started to ramble and he interrupted her again

"Those are just details" He stated "Besides, it's not like we can take this back. Unless you want to…" He mumbled, and looked at her like some kind of lost puppy. He doesn't want her to take it back, and to be honest, neither does she.

"No, I don't wanna do that" She said "I want to have this baby, I know this wasn't what we planned, it's going to be messy, people are going to judge us and I'll probably lose my job but… We can do this, right?"

He smiled and kissed her tenderly "Yeah, we can"

She buried her head on his chest again while he rubbed her back, and for the first time since she realized that her period was late, she felt herself relaxing. He was so calm and rational during this whole thing that he actually managed to soothe her, it's amazing how much he grew during the past year, she finds herself loving him more and more each day.

"By the way… About the whole 'being married' thing..." He started, and her heart skipped a beat.

She always wanted to marry Steven, but she doesn't want him to propose to her only because she's pregnant.

"Steven…" She said, and before she could continue, he interrupted her.

"Wait here." He asked, kissing her forehead and going to their room. A few seconds later he returned, and when she saw what he was holding she felt her eyes filling with tears again.

He had a black velvet box in his hands, and she's pretty sure she knows what's inside.

"Before you start yapping, I want to tell you something" He said, getting on one knee in front of her "I've had this since that night in the motel room. And when I showed up at your door a year ago, I had this in my pocket. I wanted so bad to propose to you, but I knew you would've kicked me in the nads so I didn't. I've been carrying this around for a while doll, I was just waiting for the right moment to pop the question" 

She stared at him in awe and disbelief. She was speechless and he took that as an opportunity to keep talking, just like he had done over a year ago.

"I'm not doing this because you're pregnant, hell, I was going to propose to you anyways, pregnant or not. I'm doing this because I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you" He said, opening the velvet box.

It was the most beautiful ring she's ever seen, in fact, it was exactly her dream ring. A princess cut engagement ring with a pavé-set diamond band in platinum. She described it to him a couple times years ago, she never thought he actually listened.

"So, whaddya say doll?" He asked, looking apprehensive

She smiled and teased him "Ask nicely, Steven"

He rolled his eyes and took her left hand in his "Jacqueline _Beulah_ Burkhart, will you marry me?"

"I'll pretend you haven't said my middle name for the sake of the moment" She answered, then she gave him one of the brightest smiles he'd ever seen "And yes, I'll marry you"

He leaned into her and kissed her passionately. She responded immediately, gently probing his mouth open with her tongue and lacing her arms around his neck.

Time to celebrate their engagement, it's not like she can get pregnant again.

* * *

_Wednesday, December 10, 1981_

She's such a tiny person, he still can't comprehend how she did it, how she managed to squeeze a child out of her. 

His wife is the most badass person he knows. He glanced quickly at the platinum wedding band on his finger and smiled, Jackie Burkhart finally became Jackie Hyde, and he couldn't be happier about it.

She knew she wanted to marry him, but she refused to get married while she was ‘fat’, so they could either get married before she started to show, or after she lost the baby weight. He just wanted to marry her as soon as possible, he couldn't wait to spend the rest of his life with her.

He managed to convince her to get married right away. They got married in a small, yet beautiful ceremony in the Forman's backyard back in May. Jackie was the most beautiful bride he's ever seen, and their wedding day was the best day of his life. Until now.

Jackie gave birth to a beautiful, healthy baby girl today. Who will be completely dependent on him and Jackie for everything she'll ever need; he didn’t know if he was supposed to be frightened or fascinated by that.

"So, what is her name?" Hyde asked, looking tenderly at the sight of his wife holding their baby.

His _wife,_ holding _their_ baby. He still couldn't believe it.

"You sure you don't want to name her Tiffany?" Jackie asked, and Hyde rolled his eyes

"What have I told you?"

" _No daughter of mine is going to be named after a capitalist jewelry corporation_ " She quoted him robotically and glared at him "You're so complicated"

"That's right" He said, smiling softly and kissing her forehead "And besides, look at her, she doesn't look like a Tiffany at all" 

Jackie looked at the baby girl in her arms and smiled. She was just so perfect; she couldn't believe she and Steven actually made such a beautiful human being. 

"You're right" She said after a few seconds "She doesn't look like a Tiffany"

"Told ya" He replied, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and sitting next to her in her hospital bed.

Jackie looked at the man next to her. She loves him so much, there was no one else she'd do this with, he's her everything. He noticed her gaze and turned to kiss her softly on the lips. 

"You choose" She murmured after the kiss ended, staring at his blue eyes.

"What?" He asked, confused

"You name her"

He stared at his wife in disbelief "But I thought we agreed that I would get to pick the name if we have a boy, and you would pick the name if we have a girl"

"I still want you to name her" Jackie argued, and he smiled.

He kissed his wife one more time and looked at their baby again. He could stare at her all day, he never thought it was possible to love another human being so much.

The baby gurgled for the first time in Jackie's arms, and Hyde felt like giggling. Both Mrs. Forman and Kelso had told him about this, this weird, giddy feeling that would come along with each tiniest thing the baby did. He hadn't believed them, but now, staring at his daughter, he finally understood what they were talking about. From the moment he'd first seen the baby, all covered in slime and blood, the moment he'd counted the ten fingers, ten toes, he'd felt it. Jackie had too, she'd laughed and cried while she held their daughter, not wanting to be apart from her for more than a second.

Steven Hyde has been in many circles in his time; he'd experienced both good trips and bad trips. But this had to be the most out-of-body experience he's ever had, and he hadn't smoked a thing.

The feeling of pure bliss and joy the new parents are feeling right now is something they had never experienced before, and it was amazing.

"Layla" He said, still staring at their pink bundle of joy. "Layla Katherine Hyde"

"Layla" Jackie mumbled in thought, and just when she said the name, their baby opened her eyes. The parents smiled at the sight. "Layla Katherine. I like it." 

"God, she's so perfect doll" He whispered "I am in so much trouble"

Jackie laughed at her husband "Yeah, boys are going to drool all over her". Hyde ran his finger through Layla's cheek, and the baby started to fuzz in her mom's arms "I think she wants you, honey" Jackie said, passing the baby to her husband's arms.

He was still awed by everything that happened. He and Jackie made a baby together, and it's by far the best thing they've ever done in their lives. Layla stopped fuzzing the second Hyde took her in his arms, she opened her eyes again and he noticed how blue they were. Just like his.

That was _his_ daughter. He has a daughter. And a wife. He smiled, he never thought he could be so happy.

He heard quiet sobs and turned to look at the love of his life, she was softly crying.

"Baby, are you okay?" He asked, concerned "Should I go get the doctor?" 

She wiped the tears off her face and gave him a teary smile "No, those are happy tears. You two look so cute together, she's got you all wrapped up on her little fingers already"

"Yeah, she does" He agreed

"Why Layla Katherine?" She asked, and he didn't quite understand the question "I mean, why did you pick those names?"

"Layla is from… well, Clapton" He said, chuckling when Jackie rolled her eyes "Also… The song was playing in the background when you decided to give us another shot"

Jackie looked tenderly at her husband, he's perfect "Oh, pudding…"

"And Katherine is after Mrs. Forman, she's… she's the first person who showed me how a family's supposed to be" He finished

"Of course she did, honey. She's your mother" Jackie said, and Hyde nodded "Go get her and the others, Steven. I want everyone to meet the most beautiful baby in the world"

He handed the baby to her and pecked her lips before heading to the waiting room, where everyone was gathered. Literally everyone.

Eric, Donna, Kelso, a very pregnant Brooke, Fez, Red, Kitty, WB, Angie and Bob.

Kelso, Fez and Eric had very guilty looks on their faces, and Red, Donna and Brooke were glaring at them. They hadn't even noticed Hyde's presence until Kitty jumped to go hug him.

"How's Jackie? And the baby? Is it a boy or a girl? How does it feel to be a daddy?" She started to bomb him with questions

"Jackie's great, so is the baby. It's a girl, and it feels freaking amazing" He said that last part with a smile, and Mrs. Forman got teary eyed and hugged him again.

"Kickass! It's a girl!" Kelso yelled "Pay up!" He said, extending his hand to Eric and Fez.

"Son of a bitch" Fez mumbled under his breath while he and Eric handed Kelso his money

"Congratulations Hyde" Donna said and went to hug him. Everyone did the same afterwards, and Fez even cried a little.

"Oh, this is a marvelous day. Hyde became a dad; I won the wheelchair race and the hospital's vending machine is broken so I got free candy!" Fez said

Hyde turned to Red with a questioning look on his face "Wheelchair race?" 

Red glared at his son and his two dumbass friends. Eric flinched and tried to justify himself "Well, Jackie was in labor for over 8 hours and we got bored!"

Hyde chuckled and Eric stared at him in disbelief "Why are you not punching us right now? Have they given you some of Jackie's drugs?" 

Donna slapped her boyfriend on the back of his head and Kelso looked at Hyde with a small, knowing grin on his face "It's a whole different kind of high, right?" 

"Oh yeah" He agreed, and Kitty clapped and giggled enthusiastically, hugging him again. He pulled apart and looked at everyone "C'mon, Jackie's waiting"

After a very persuasive talk WB had with the nurse, everyone was allowed to visit Jackie and the baby at the same time, as long as there were no more wheelchair races and yelling.

Hyde entered the room first, sitting next to Jackie in bed. She had their baby in her arms and looked up at everyone.

"Give me my grandchild!" Kitty said, extending her arms so Jackie could hand her the baby.

Jackie passed the baby to Mrs. Forman, and Hyde sat next to his wife on her hospital bed, kissing her temple and admiring the sight in front of him.

Mrs. Forman was holding the baby while 10 people formed a circle around her to watch the new basement child. They all had big smiles on their faces, and Jackie started to tear up again.

"Oh my… she's so precious" Kitty said, trying to control her own tears

"She's beautiful" Donna said, not even trying to hide the fact that she was crying

Angie started to cry too "I can't believe I'm an aunt!"

Hyde felt his own eyes tearing up a little when he saw Red Forman, the most badass guy he knows, smiling and stroking Layla's cheeks softly with his fingers.

"Man, she's cute" Eric said "Good job, devil"

Donna slapped the back of Eric's head while everyone laughed.

"I can't believe my goddess made another human being" Fez stated

"She's adorable" Brooke said, rubbing her own baby bump

"Oh Steven…" Jackie cried with joy on Hyde's shoulder. He kissed the top of her head and rubbed her back, not looking away from his family once.

"So… what's her name?" Kelso asked, looking expectantly at the Hyde's.

"Yeah about that…" Hyde answered with a small smile, Mrs. Forman didn't even acknowledge Kelso's question, she was too busy staring in awe at her first granddaughter.

"So, Mrs. Forman, I think you should let Donna take the baby for a while" Jackie suggested and Mrs. Forman looked questionably at her, while Donna smiled brightly.

"Why?" She asked in a sad tone

"Because we're afraid you're going to drop her once we tell you her name" Hyde answered 

"Oh! You named her Bambi, didn't you?" Kelso asked "No fair, Hyde! That's what I've been trying to convince Brooke to name our baby!"

"We don't even know if it's a boy or a girl, Michael" Brooke said, rolling her eyes "And I would die before letting you name my child Bambi!"

"Please don't tell me you named my first granddaughter after a cartoon deer" Kitty pleaded, handing the baby to a smiling Donna

"No, Mrs. Forman" Jackie laughed "Everyone, I want you all to meet Layla Katherine Hyde" 

"Clapton?" Eric said, grinning approvingly, and Hyde nodded "Nice"

Both Jackie and Hyde watched Mrs. Forman's reaction attentively. She looked like she was in genuine shock.

Then Red nudged her and she smiled brightly, her eyes sparkling with happy tears as she placed her hand over her heart and Red wrapped a comforting arm around her.

"You…" She choked out after a few seconds, looking tenderly at the couple sitting in the hospital bed "You named your daughter after me?" 

Hyde and Jackie nodded, and Mrs. Forman engulfed them both in a very tight hug.

"Kitty, for Christ's sake" Red said after a minute has passed "The poor girl was in labor for 8 hours, let her breathe"

"Oh fine" Mrs. Forman said, letting go of the couple and wiping her tears. She buried her face on Red's chest and he gave Jackie and Hyde a small grin before rubbing his wife's back while she cried with joy.

"Man, I think you broke my mom" Eric said after a few seconds

"Shut up, Eric" Donna said, looking tenderly at the baby in her arms "Look, she's lifting her little hand! It's like she wants to say hello…" 

"She's cute man" Kelso said, looking at the baby "Normally newborn babies look weird, some have a cone-shaped head and everything, but she doesn't, she's real cute" 

Brooke glared at him and he quickly added to his speech "But Betsy was cuter…"

Jackie rolled her eyes and looked at Mrs. Forman, who was still clutching into Red, but was staring at the whole scene with a big smile on her face. Donna smiled and handed the baby back to Jackie, she nudged Eric and quickly, everyone left the room, leaving Jackie and Hyde alone with Red and Kitty.

"Mrs. Forman…" Hyde started, looking uncomfortable. Jackie squeezed his hand and he continued "Thank you for being… well, you. You too, Red. If it wasn't for you guys, I probably wouldn't be here, sitting next to my wife while she holds our daughter. I owe everything to you two"

Mrs. Forman's tears were back now and Red was smiling at the boy he considered his son, he was _so_ proud of him.

"I am so, so happy you decided to do the right thing, Steven" Kitty said "It pained me, seeing you both so miserable during that… well, during the 'dark times'. I was secretly rooting for you two, and when I saw you leaving the house, clean shaved, and holding that duffel bag in the middle of the afternoon, I knew you were finally going to get your girl back"

Jackie wiped away a few tears, and Hyde was trying really hard to keep his own tears inside.

"You two always reminded me of me and Red… you're soulmates. And I wish you both and baby Layla all the happiness in the world" Mrs. Forman finished, and Hyde got up from Jackie's bed and pulled his foster mother into a tight embrace. Usually he hates sentimental moments like these, but he just became a dad, and Mr. and Mrs. Forman deserve to know the huge role they've had in his life.

"I don't give a damn if Edna gave birth to me, you are and always will be my mother" He whispered on her ear, and she started to cry again

"And you are my son" She said between sobs. "We're so proud of you"

Hyde didn't answer, but he tightened his grip on the older woman, while Jackie watched the whole scene with tears in her eyes. Red looked embarrassed by the public display of affection, but he couldn't help but smile proudly at the boy he practically raised.

Then the baby started to cry in Jackie's arms, bringing everyone back to their new reality.

"Hey baby… shhh…" Jackie said, hesitantly rocking the baby back and forward in her arms.

"Oh honey," Mrs. Forman said, approaching her, she was about to take the baby from Jackie's arms to calm her down, but Hyde beated her into it. The second he cradled the little girl in his arms, she stopped crying.

"Oh, c'mon!" Jackie protested and crossed her arms "This is the second time today! At first, I thought it was cute, but I went through immeasurable pain to bring her to this world, and she wants Steven again?!" 

Hyde was grinning from ear to ear as the baby fell asleep in his arms, and Red smiled at the sight. He remembers feeling the exact same thing when Laurie was born.

Kitty sent Jackie an apologetic look "Well… It looks like we have a daddy's little girl here"

"Fan-freaking-tastic" Jackie complained, and Mrs. Forman smiled softly at her. 

"Don't worry honey, that's a great excuse to put him on diaper duty"

"But…" She pouted, and Kitty placed a hand on Jackie's shoulder

"Look at them, Jackie" She said, smiling softly at the sight. Steven was completely hypnotized by the little girl asleep in his arms, and Red watched them with a smile on his face "That's your family honey."

Jackie's eyes filled with tears "They are, aren't they?" She whispered in awe "My family…" 

"A beautiful one" Kitty said, hugging the girl "We're your family, Jackie"

Jackie hugged the older woman back, not being able to hold her tears in anymore.

Hyde heard his wife's soft sobs and saw Mrs. Forman hugging her.

"Something's wrong?" He asked, sitting on the bed next to Jackie

"No, everything's perfect" Jackie answered, wiping her face and smiling at the two most important people in her life.

"Hey doll" Hyde said, passing the sleeping girl to her "We did that"

"We did" She said in awe, still sniffling "No one told me that having a baby would be so emotional"

Hyde smiled and placed his arm around her shoulder, and she snuggled closer to him.

"We're going to leave you three alone now" Mrs. Forman said with a small grin "Congratulations"

"Any words of advice?" Hyde asked with a smirk

"Don't let the foreign kid alone with the child" Red grimaced "The kettlehead was complaining that he gave candy to his three year old last time he babysat"

"Oh… and don't have s-e-x in the same room as the baby! We think that's what messed up Eric in the first place" Mrs. Forman said, putting her hand on the doorknob

"Also, don't let her anywhere near boys. I wish I've done that with Laurie…" Red mumbled

"And take a lot of pictures!" Mrs. Forman said excitedly "I want to make a scrapbook!"

"Will do" Hyde said, smiling at the older couple "Thanks for everything"

"You're welcome, honey" Mrs. Forman said "We'll be back tomorrow"

And with that, the Forman couple left the room, both of them with proud smiles on their faces.

Jackie looked up at her husband, who was staring lovingly at Layla, and laid her head on his shoulder. After everything that happened between them, she was certain that she would never be happy again.

But he managed to surprise her, he actually fought for them, and managed to regain her trust. Now, here they are, married, holding their newborn daughter, and more in love than ever.

She felt him kissing the top of her head, and the tears made a comeback. Jackie Burkhart cries a lot, that's a fact, but never has she cried so much because of joy.

This was the happiest day of her life.

"You're quite the crier today, huh?" Hyde said, gently lifting her head and wiping her tears off with the pad of his thumb "That's not fair, you know your tears are my kryptonite"

She chuckled and stared lovingly at him "I just… I love you so much, Steven"

"I love you too, doll" He said with a big smile, pressing a tender kiss on her lips "Thank you for giving me a second chance"

"Thank you for fighting for us" She said "I never thought it was possible for someone to be that happy”

“Me too” He said “Never thought I would be in this position, y’know? Being raised by Edna made me think I was destined to be white trash, and after everything I’ve done to you… I… God, I really hated myself for a while, Edna would’ve been proud”

Jackie was looking at him with those big eyes of hers, just waiting for the right moment so she could lecture him about his self-loathing, and he interrupted her before she even started.

“What I mean to say is…” He continued “Never thought I would be here, but there’s nowhere else I’d rather be”

She smiled at him and captured his lips with her own, and just when he was about to deepen the kiss, Layla started to cry and Jackie broke their lip lock, trying to soothe the baby in her arms.

"Party pooper" Hyde said playfully when the baby stopped crying.

"Oh, it's not like we could've finished it anyways" Jackie replied, rolling her eyes

"Still" Hyde said, stroking Layla's cheeks with his fingers, she closed her eyes at her father's touch "I have a feeling she's gonna do that a lot more"

“Of course she will” Jackie said “She’s _our_ daughter, Steven. She has your stubborn genes and my lungs, we’re screwed”

He laughed and wrapped tightened the grip on _his_ chick, that was currently holding _their_ baby. He meant what he said before, there’s nowhere else he’d rather be.

-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Hyde showed up on Jackie’s door in March, and she decided to give him a second shot on his birthday (in November). That’s 8 months of friendship, and it was enough to make her trust him again.
> 
> They moved in together on February, and she got pregnant soon after that. I decided to clear that up, just in case the timeline was confusing.
> 
> This story has a very special place on my heart, and I hope you liked it. I’ll post a chapter per week, since there’s only three.
> 
> Please let me know what you thought about this, I know it’s fluffy, but c’mon, we all need some fluff in our lives, right?
> 
> I tend to post progress updates on my [tumblr](https://zepellin-and-unicorns.tumblr.com/), so check it out if you want to!
> 
> Next chapter will be up in exactly 7 days!


	2. Dylan Steven Hyde

** Dylan Steven Hyde **

_Friday, January 10, 1986_

"Steven?"

"Hm?" He hummed to indicate he was listening. He was tired. They were tired. He was laying on their living room couch and she was snuggled up with him, his fingers were running up and down her back, and she was laying her head on his chest. They had just put Layla to bed after spending the whole day doing manual work.

They moved back to Point Place a week ago, and not everything was 100% settled yet.

Their new house was lovely, and Jackie fell in love with it the minute she saw it. It was only two blocks away from Red and Kitty, and Eric and Donna were planning on moving to the house across the street from them. 

It wasn't a manor, but it was perfect for them. It had four bedrooms, and a big backyard where Layla could play and get some fresh air at the same time. She couldn't do that in Chicago unless they brought her to the park. 

She looked up at Steven and smiled when she saw the pink paint stain on his AC/DC shirt. She probably doesn't look much better, Layla spent the day with Eric, Donna and their 2-year old, Lucas, because Jackie and Hyde had to finish some details at her store.

That's right. Her store.

After she got pregnant with Layla, Jackie lost her job at the TV station. She knew it was probably going to happen, but that didn't make it any easier to accept. She started to understand why Donna talked so much about feminism and women's rights after that. The fact that she lost her job because she was pregnant was revolting.

She had a long talk with Steven after that. She decided she wanted to go back to school, but she also wanted to wait until Layla was 2 until she starts to study again, because then while Jackie attended classes at Chicago's community college, Layla could be in daycare.

Layla was 4 now, and Jackie majored in design a year ago. So far, she sold a few of her designs to some brands, but she wanted to open her own boutique in Point Place, and coincidentally, that healthy restaurant next door to Grooves went out of business.

She and Steven spent the day painting the walls and just putting the store together in general, her big opening was in a week and she was very excited.

Everything was so perfect, and it felt right. She's been wanting this for a while, and deep down, she knew Steven wanted it too. They talked about it before, they just never went ahead with it.

"I want another baby" She said, running her fingers through his chest.

"Yeah?" Steven answered, she looked up at him and he was looking down at her, smiling softly "Me too"

She shifted in her position so she could be on top and look him in the eye.

"Really?" She beamed at him

"Yeah, I think the timing is perfect" He answered, cradling her face with his hand.

"So, we're officially trying now?" She asked, rubbing herself into him

"Not yet" He answered, and before she even had the time to look questionably at him, he shifted their positions so he could be on top, and kissed her passionately. They pulled apart after a few minutes when they were both out of breath. He moved to kiss her jaw and whispered on her ear "Now we are"

She giggled and removed his shirt, eager to start making baby number two.

* * *

_Friday, December 25, 1987_

Two years. Two miscarriages.

She felt like she failed at being a woman. She was supposed to keep the baby in, what the hell was she doing wrong?

6 months after she and Steven decided to start trying, she found out she was pregnant. It took a while, but when she finally saw the two familiar pink lines, she was _so_ happy. She told Steven that same day, and they celebrated it all night long.

She was ecstatic, she told everyone the next day: the Forman’s, Fez and his girlfriend, Eric and Donna, Michael and Brooke… they were all really happy for them, they all knew they were trying for a while.

It's amazing how things can go wrong so quickly.

A week after that, she was doing inventory at her store when she felt a sharp pain in her abdomen. The next thing she knew she was in the hospital with Steven clutching her hand like his life depended on it.

Apparently, she passed out and Shelly, her employee, ran to Grooves to get Steven. He brought her to the hospital and the doctors told Steven that she'd lost the baby. Just like that.

Steven was the one who told her about the miscarriage when she woke up, and she spent the night crying into his chest while he held her.

Jackie spent over a month miserably sad, and Hyde was crushed. He told Kitty about what happened and asked her to tell the others, he just couldn't do it.

He held his wife while she cried herself to sleep every day for two weeks straight. Seeing Jackie like this was slowly killing him, he felt useless. In the following two weeks, Jackie still moped around the house, their friends came to visit them a couple times, none of them were able to cheer Jackie up.

Layla kept asking her dad why her mommy was so sad all the time, he never knew what to answer, so he just told her that mommy was sad because she lost something very important to her. On the next day, she snuck into her parents’ room in the morning with her favorite stuffed unicorn. She woke her parents up and they made room for her to lay between them like they always do. Her parents always slept hugging each other and she thought it was very cute.

She handed the stuffed unicorn to her mommy and said:

_'Daddy said you were sad because you lost something important to you, so I want you to have Sweetums because he is very important to me and he makes me happy so he will make you happy too'._

Those simple lines touched Jackie and Hyde's hearts deeply, and they were what motivated her to move on. She held her daughter and promised she would get better. And eventually, she did.

The doctor told them that statistically, one in every four women have suffered from miscarriages in America, and that what happened to them was more common than they think. It didn't erase the pain, but it motivated the couple to try again when it was safe.

It took them another year to get pregnant again. Not by the lack of trying.

Jackie was convinced there was something wrong with her, because she got pregnant with Layla without even trying when she was 20, why can't she get pregnant again now that she's 26?

On Layla's fourth birthday, Donna announced her pregnancy to everyone. It was an accident; she and Eric weren't planning on having another kid until Lucas turned 4. Jackie was happy for them, she really was. But when all the guests eventually went home and the birthday girl went to sleep, she fell apart in her husband's arms.

They tried again for over 8 months, and nothing. That's when they decided to go see a specialist all the way in Milwaukee.

The doctor told them not to give up, but he also ordered a ton of exams, just to see if something's wrong.

The most uncomfortable moment of Hyde's life was when he had to pleasure himself in a room and fill up a cup with his "little man". Jackie gave him a picture of herself, because _'There's no way in hell you're using those playboys, Steven!'_. He didn't care, his wife was the most gorgeous woman in the world to him.

His exams were all clear, his sperm count was normal and the bloodwork was also normal.

Jackie's weren't. Apparently, she has a hostile uterus.

Her first instinct when she received the diagnosis, was to deny it. Because it didn't make any sense. She had a child before, why can't she have one now?

The doctor patiently explained to her that this doesn't mean she's infertile, it just means that they need to keep trying. He gave her a list of things that could improve their chances of having a baby, and Jackie followed it meticulously.

She went on a strict diet, she stopped drinking alcohol, she drank over 2 liters of water every single day, she completely stopped wearing skinny jeans, wearing only skirts and dresses whenever she could. Steven was saddened and also delighted by that last part, he loved seeing his wife in those skinny jeans, but the skirts sure made his job a lot easier.

She kept track of her period and her ovulation days religiously, and after 4 more months, she was pregnant again.

She felt like the universe was finally giving her a chance. She thought about giving up _so_ many times, but she wanted another child so badly.

Jackie always wanted exactly three children. She wanted her kids to have what she and Steven never did: a big, loving family. If something ever happens with her and Steven, she doesn't want Layla to be alone.

She talked about this with Steven. While they were dating, just the thought of kids was enough to terrify him, but he matured, they matured, together. They both wanted the same things now, he wanted this child just as much as she did, and he suffered just as much as she did when she had the first miscarriage.

It took them a year to get pregnant again, and only a month to lose the baby.

This time, she woke up in the middle of the night with blood on the sheets and very strong cramps. She knew what was happening, and she and Steven dropped Layla at Eric and Donna's and rushed to the hospital, still wearing their pajamas. It was too late.

The second miscarriage had a strong emotional toll on both of them. Jackie was miserable again, but she also refused to mope in bed all day. She didn't want Layla to see her like that.

That didn't mean she hasn't cried herself to sleep in Steven's arms every day. Again.

She stopped with the diets, and the special supplements. She just gave up on trying, it seems like the universe didn't want them to have a second child after all.

Not many people know about the second miscarriage, besides the Forman’s, the only people who knew were Eric and Donna, and that's only because they needed to know why they were dropping Layla at their house in the middle of the night.

She tried her best to not reach rock bottom after everything, and she was never so grateful to have such a loving and supportive husband by her side. If it weren't for him and Layla, only God knows how she would be right now.

Things are not okay, but they are not bad either. The stores were doing really well, and Layla seemed happy, but Jackie still felt empty inside.

Steven hated seeing his wife like this, he knew she was trying to be strong, but almost every day she fell apart in his arms. He always held her tight, but every sob felt like a knife in his heart. He felt useless.

That's why he decided to surprise her today, 4 months after they lost the second baby.

They had a good day. Layla woke them up in the morning, excited to see what Santa brought her this year. They spent the entire morning with Layla, and the rest of the day at the Forman’s.

After Layla went to bed, Hyde decided it was time to give his wife her second gift. She was getting ready to bed when she felt his arms wrapping around her waist from behind. She smiled when she felt him pressing kisses on her neck. It's amazing how even after almost 10 years, she still feels butterflies in her stomach whenever they're together.

He placed an envelope on her hands, and she turned around and looked questionably at him.

"That's your second Christmas present" He explained

"But… you already got me something" She said, referring to the present he gave her this morning. Diamond earrings. He rarely got her jewelry so it's safe to say she was very happy with her present. She doesn't understand why there's a second one.

"Well, what can I say? Santa's being pretty generous this year" He said, squeezing her ass and making her giggle "Open up, doll"

She opened the envelope, eyeing him suspiciously. Her jaw dropped when she saw what was inside.

"Steven…" She looked at her husband, and he was smiling at her "Those are two plane tickets to Barbados"

"Yeah, I know, I bought them" He gave her a smartass response and she rolled her eyes, trying to hide a grin. He placed one of his hands on her cheek, and she leaned into his touch "I just thought… The last time we took a trip together, just us, was on our honeymoon and… We need some time away from Point Place, don't you think so?"

"Yeah…" She said, wrapping her arms around his neck "When are we leaving?"

"Next week" He answered, starting to kiss her neck again "We're staying there for 10 days. I already have everything sorted out. Layla's staying with Mr. and Mrs. Forman, Shelly is taking care of your store and Dom is taking care of Grooves…" She giggled when he pressed a kiss on her collarbone "So, did you like it?"

She cupped his face and kissed him tenderly on the lips "I loved it. And I love you"

"Ditto" He pressed a kiss on the tip of her nose

"But I thought you hated beaches" She said

"I do not hate beaches. I hate wearing shorts. But it's only the two of us and… well, I'll wear shorts if it makes you smile" He answered, and she beamed at him. She placed the open envelope on top of her dresser and threw her husband into their bed. He deserved a very good reward after that gift.

* * *

_Sunday, February 14, 1988_

"So?" He asked, with a hopeful expression

Instead of answering, she broke down in sobs. He sighed and pulled her into his arms, holding her tight.

When she said her period was late last week, they shrugged it off, after all, they tried for so long and nothing worked. Jackie was convinced that she was infertile.

But he couldn't get rid of this feeling. He hadn't said anything at first because he didn't want to upset her, she was starting to get better, he could see her eyes were slowly regaining her famous sparkle, but she started to throw up this morning and he just had to say something. They went to the drugstore and bought not one, not two, but three pregnancy tests. The expensive kind.

He couldn't help but be disappointed, they really wanted another child, and he really thought that they finally did it.

"I'm so sorry doll" He whispered and kissed the top of her head while she sobbed on his chest "I just… I had this feeling, but I guess it was nothing. I'm so, so sorry"

Jackie sobbed harder, and he closed his eyes. He would do anything to make this situation better for them, literally anything.

They've considered adoption, but he had a record and… well, people don't want to give babies to a guy who was arrested for possession when he was still a teen.

"It's positive" She mumbled, and his heart stopped. 

"What?" He asked, cupping her face on his hands so he could look her in the eyes.

"It's positive. All three of them" She said. He smiled and pulled her to a kiss, they finally did it. After two years, she's pregnant. They're having another baby.

He laughed and grabbed her in his arms, spinning her around. She's pregnant. She's actually really fucking pregnant.

When he noticed his wife does not appear to be as happy as he was, he frowned. She wanted another baby for so long, why is she not celebrating?

"Doll?" He called her, and cradled her face on his hands "Tell me what's wrong"

"I can't do this, Steven" She cried "I can't lose another baby, it'll kill me"

"Who says we're losing this one?" He said, looking tenderly at his wife

"We lost two already" More tears fell from her eyes as she said that, and he wiped them off with his thumb

"Hey," He said tenderly "Third time's a charm, right? Don't worry, things are going to be fine, I know they will" 

"How can you be so sure?" She asked in a small voice

"I just have a feeling" He answered with a small grin "Tomorrow we're calling the doctor, things are going to work this time doll, trust me" 

She managed to give him a small grin and a nod, and he kissed her. She felt herself relaxing and wondered how the hell does he always manage to do that, to calm her down.

He broke the kiss and smiled again "See, I told you that coconut bikini would be worth it" 

"You’re a pig" She said, smiling and wiping the tears off her face "We're really going to be parents again?"

"Yes, we are, dollface" He pecked her in the lips "Now go get ready, because we got dinner reservations and we still have to drop Layla at Fez's" 

"Are you sure we should leave Layla with Fez? I don't think he knows what he signed up for" She said "Taking care of not one, not two, but three children on Valentine's day by himself? He's not surviving today" 

"Hey, I'll be happy if he doesn't give Layla candy for dinner again" He said, remembering the last time Fez babysat for them. He and Jackie had to deal with an electric child all night, Hyde almost killed his foreigner friend after that one.

Fez and his girlfriend broke up a few months ago, and he was now spending Valentine's day alone, just like the good old days. He offered to babysit Lucas, Layla and Hannah for the night, because according to him, just because his love's dead, it doesn't mean that he should let other people's love die.

Or something like that, to be honest, Hyde stopped paying attention the minute Fez said he was taking Layla for the night.

He planned on taking advantage of that. He and Jackie barely had any alone time since they came back from Barbados.

Jackie wiped her face again and went to the bathroom to get ready. She stopped at the door frame and looked at her husband. "Steven?"

"Yeah?" 

"I love you"

He smiled "Love you too doll. We're going to be alright"

"Yeah, we are" She said, absentmindedly rubbing her hand through her stomach.

* * *

_Friday, September 16, 1988_

He looked over at his wife, and just stared lovingly at her. She was laying on the hospital bed, asleep. She deserves it, she had a rough day.

She'd done it, she gave birth to a healthy baby boy. Their baby boy.

Then he looked over at him, the tiny human being he was currently holding in his arms. His little blue eyes gazed at him, and he couldn't breathe for a few seconds. His eyes are just like Layla's, and just like his own. And just like when Layla was born, that feeling of pure bliss overtook him, it was a high better than any drug could ever give him.

He's the father of two children. Holy crap.

He smiled, thinking about Layla and how she reacted during the whole pregnancy. Layla was so excited with the idea of being a big sister. Every day before she went to bed, she read a bedtime story for the baby. That was still in Jackie's stomach, it was adorable.

Layla is almost 7 now, and she's completely delighted by books. She doesn't need her parents to read her bedtime stories anymore, she reads them for herself. And for the baby.

She claimed that everybody needs to hear a good story before sleeping, to keep the bad dreams away. So, every time Jackie went to tuck her daughter in bed, Layla read a story to the baby. She often fell asleep in the middle of her storytelling, laying in Jackie's lap, her little hands resting in Jackie's belly.

Hyde and Jackie thought it was the cutest thing in the world, and they had absolutely no doubt that Layla would be an amazing big sister.

The baby rested quietly in his father's arms, which Hyde thought was a little ironic, because he kept kicking the crap outta of Jackie when he was still inside her. 

This pregnancy was certainly a lot different than her first one. During the first few months, Jackie was extremely careful, she was terrified of something happening with the baby, in fact, Hyde thought that maybe she was being a little neurotic, but it was understandable, considering what happened to them in the past, so he hadn't said anything. Besides, if he did, he would probably be dead by now. A hormonal Jackie is not someone you should mess with.

They decided to tell everyone the news after Jackie entered the second trimester, it was safer this way. And everyone was ecstatic for them. Mrs. Forman cried and organized a big dinner party for everyone to celebrate together. Even Red was happy for them, he hadn't even complained about hosting the party.

When they found out they were having a boy, Jackie was thrilled. She went nuts baby shopping, she even bought a fair amount of baby onesies with band logos on them. Hyde smiled when he saw a mini Led Zeppelin shirt on one of her many shopping bags.

He looked at his wife again, she was so badass, he never admired someone as much as he admired her.

She was in labor for 16 excruciating hours. Jackie's doctor had said that the baby was in the breech position, coming out butt first, because of course his boy just had to come out mooning. The doctors even offered to do a c-section, but she refused vehemently. Hyde was by her side all the time, holding her hand, and rubbing her back while she screamed and cried in pain.

It was the worst part, watching Jackie being in so much pain and not being able to do anything to help her.

The doctors were oblivious to the fact that Jackie was the most stubborn woman in the world, and they were genuinely surprised when Jackie was able to deliver the baby naturally after all.

"Hey" His wife's tired voice broke him out of his thoughts and he smiled.

"Hey" He said, sitting next to her and placing a tender kiss on her forehead "Aren't you supposed to be asleep?"

"I will sleep when I want to" She said, pouting slightly and crossing her arms "I miss Layla"

"Mrs. Forman took her to have lunch a few minutes ago, she said she would bring her here when they come back" He answered "She's very excited to meet her little brother"

She smiled and extended her arms, and he carefully passed the baby to her "I came to the conclusion that we make perfect babies" She said, looking at the sleeping baby boy

"Of course we do, I mean, look at us" He said with a small smile. He stroked the baby's cheek softly with his index finger "God, I always forget how tiny they are"

He raised his head to look at his wife again and saw her staring lovingly at him. He cradled her face with one hand and used the other to tuck a few stray strands of hair behind her ear. "I love you so much, Steven"

He smiled and kissed her tenderly "Love you too, doll. Can't believe we actually made it"

"I know" She said "I actually thought we were never going to be parents again. For the first time in my life, I couldn't be happier that I was wrong"

"Me too" He said, and looked at his son "So, what are we naming this little guy?"

"Steven." 

"Yeah?" He said, and she laughed

"No, baby. We're naming him Steven" She answered simply, and he frowned

"I think I have an objection to that"

"Why?" She asked, sounding upset

"Jackie, do you have any idea of how chaotic things would be at our house with you yelling 'Steven' all the time? You would give the poor kid whiplash before he's one year old" He said

"But I want him to be named after the best man I know…" She pouted, and almost instantly his heart became a puddle in her hands. He'll never stop being thankful for having such an amazing woman by his side, and he wanted to give her everything she wants, except that. He gets why she wants to name his kid after him, and he loves her so much for it, but he is not naming his kid Steven, he still values his sanity.

"I love you doll, but I stand by my statement" He said, and she sighed.

"Fine! I get what you mean" She reluctantly gave in after a few seconds "But his middle name is going to be Steven, and that's final"

"Jackie…" He was about to argue, but stopped when he saw the look on her face. "Fine"

"Yay!" She celebrated it and kissed his cheek "Thank you, pudding"

He smiled at her cuteness "Well, he still needs a first name"

"That's easy, Dylan" She said like it was the most obvious thing in the world and he stared at her in disbelief. That was actually a pretty great name, did she come up with it on the spot?

"I like Dylan" He replied, and looked at the sleeping baby boy. Yeah, he looks like a Dylan. "Where did it come from?"

"I saw it on a soap opera and I thought it was cute"

He grimaced "Yeah, if someone asks, we're saying it was after Bob Dylan"

"Deal" She smiled, and he kissed her lips

"Hey, hey! Keep it G rated, there's kids coming to the room" Eric's voice broke them out of their little bubble and Dylan started to cry

"It's okay baby, uncle Eric makes me want to cry too" Jackie said, quickly soothing the baby and making Hyde and Donna laugh

"So, I see a second child did not affected your evil nature" Eric said playfully, and Jackie smiled

"Of course it didn't" She replied and smiled at the two kids who entered the room "Who wants to meet their new cousin?"

Both Hannah and Lucas smiled brightly, and watched the baby in Jackie's arms with amusement.

"Wow, he's really small" Lucas said "Was Hannah that small too? I can't remember"

"Yes, and so were you" Donna said, looking at the new baby "Damn it, why do the two of you always make the cutest babies?" 

"Because we're cute" Jackie answered simply

"Hey, I'm not cute!" Hyde protested "Take it back"

"Sure you aren't, Pudding Pop" Eric teased him, and Hyde glared at him

"Pudding pop!" Hannah said giggling, and Donna smiled

"That’s uncle Pudding Pop to you, honey” Donna said while Jackie and Eric laughed

“Jackie!” Hyde protested

“Sorry” She said, laying her head on his shoulder. Donna and Eric watched with a small smile on their faces, they were really happy for their friends.

“Donna” Jackie said “Aren’t you going to hold your godson?”

Donna broke into a big grin, and her eyes watered “My godson?” 

“Yeah” Hyde confirmed, looking at their friends with a small smile on his face “If you and Forman want to, of course” 

Hyde and Jackie talked a lot about this during their pregnancy. Michael and Brooke were Layla’s godparents, it was their best choice back then, since they all lived in Chicago, and Jackie was still a little upset with Donna back then. Also, Jackie developed a really nice friendship with the librarian, and trusted her with her life.

But ever since they moved back into Point Place, Eric and Donna were there for them. They helped them during the hardest time of their lives, by babysitting Layla whenever Jackie and Hyde needed some time to mourn, by bringing pizza over to their place and organizing play dates between their kids, by offering their shoulders to cry on if they ever needed it. Hyde was never so thankful for having them moving into the house across the street from theirs, their support was fundamental to their healing.

They were absolutely sure that they would be excellent godparents to Dylan.

Donna nodded enthusiastically and Jackie handed Dylan to her, Eric looked at them with a huge smile on his face.

“We’d be honored” He said, looking at the couple “Thank you, guys” 

Donna rocked the baby back and forwards in her arms, while her kids and her husband watched in admiration. “So, what’s my godson’s name?” She asked

“Dylan” Jackie answered, Donna and Eric smiled approvingly “Dylan Steven Hyde”

“I like it” Eric said “Is it after Bob Dylan?”

Hyde just smiled and nodded, as he and Jackie watched Donna introduce Dylan to her kids, who were staring at the blue bundle of joy in her arms in awe.

“Where’s everyone?” Jackie asked after a few seconds

"Kelso had to run back to Chicago, Mikey broke his arm" Donna said "Mr. and Mrs. Forman are with Layla and honestly I have no idea where the hell Fez and Laurie are"

“Oh, I’m right here sugar buns” Fez said, laughing at his own joke. He entered the room carrying a blue “It’s a boy!” balloon and a teddy bear, Mrs. Forman, Layla and Red following behind him.

“Daddy!!” Layla said, running into her father’s arms “Where’s my new brother?”

“Over here, honey” Jackie said, as Donna passed Dylan back to her. Hyde picked his girl up and placed her on the hospital bed near Jackie. “This is your baby brother, his name’s Dylan”

“Wow” Layla said, looking at the baby in her mother’s arms “He’s tiny”

“That’s because he’s still a baby” Hyde explained “One day, he’ll be just as big as you”

“That’s awesome! I can’t wait to share my toys with him!” She said “Can I hold him?” 

“Of course you can” Jackie said “Here, let daddy help you”

Hyde adjusted Layla’s arms so he could place the baby in them, and she gave her parents the brightest smile once the baby was safely cradled in her arms. She watched him in fascination, her parents made a person, that was the most magical thing ever!

“Man, you guys are so lucky, when Hannah was born Lucas couldn’t stop throwing tantrums” Eric said

“That’s because he was too young” Donna explained “But boy, I’m glad that phase is over”

“I like Hannah now” Lucas said, putting his arm around his little sister while Eric and Donna watched with proud smiles “She doesn’t cry that much anymore”

“You two had it easy,” Mrs. Forman said, rolling her eyes “When Eric was born, Laurie used to hold his nose close until he cried”

Eric looked horrified at his mother “She did?! That’s awful! See, I told you she was always evil!”

“Eric…” Red warned him and sent him a threatening look and he sighed

“Auntie Laurie is evil” He whispered to Lucas, and Donna smacked the back of her husband’s head

“Well, Layla’s going to be an amazing big sister, aren’t you, honey?” Mrs. Forman said, turning to look at the girl who was still holding her brother

“I’m going to be the best big sister! I’m going to read for him, teach him what to wear and what not to wear, give him advice about school…” Layla said, and continued to list all the things she was going to teach her little brother about, Jackie and Hyde were both grinning proudly at their little girl as she ranted.

“Do they have a ‘best big sister’ award?” Layla asked curiously “I bet I’d win that! Just like I won ‘prettiest ballerina’ last year!”

“I don’t think there is, but if there was, you would totally win it” Jackie said “My baby girl is good at everything, just like me!”

Hyde smiled, Layla was a miniature Jackie, and he loved them both so much.

Eric picked up Hannah and Donna picked up Lucas. They were watching the family in front of them with a big smile on their faces, they deserved to be happy after everything they went through. Donna discreetly nudged Eric with her elbow, gesturing to the door. They wanted to give their friends some privacy.

"We'll be back tomorrow" Eric said, bouncing Hannah on his arms "Congratulations"

"Can we get pudding pops before we go home?" Lucas asked his mother

"Sure" She said, then she turned to look at Jackie, Hyde and Layla one last time "Seriously guys, congratulations"

"Thank you" Jackie said with a teary smile "For everything"

Donna and Eric smiled and nodded as they left the room, leaving the Hyde’s alone with Red, Kitty and Fez.

Fez was surprisingly quiet, he was watching everything with a sad smile on his face, leaning against the wall. Hyde was about to ask his foreigner friend what was going on, when he took a deep breath and looked at Hyde.

"Hyde, may I talk to you?" Fez asked apprehensively, and Hyde looked questionably at him before following him to the hospital hallway.

Hyde looked at Fez, who was fidgeting nervously. Yeah, something was definitely going on with him.

"Spill it, Fez" He said impatiently after a couple minutes of silence.

"Uh…" Fez started "What would you think if I told you Laurie is pregnant?"

Hyde chuckled "I would feel bad for the poor bastard who impregnated her and tell him to save some money, because God knows how much a paternity test costs. Why?"

"What if I was the poor bastard?" Fez said sheepishly, and Hyde looked at him in shock. 

"Fez, Laurie's been back in town for only three months" Hyde said "And weren't you still moping the loss of the love of your life?" 

"Suzanne and I broke up almost a year ago" Fez replied, with a pout "And yes, I was sad, but Laurie and I… it just happened. We're working in the same place and we were bored!"

Hyde stared at Fez in disbelief. Fez could never keep his mouth shut about his "lady lovers", and he was surprised he hadn't talked about Laurie until now.

"She's really pregnant, man?" Hyde asked

"Yes" Fez answered "She's been to the doctor and everything"

"And are you sure you are the father?" Hyde hesitantly asked. It's a known fact that Laurie tends to sleep around.

"Yes" Fez replied, getting kind of annoyed "We've been sneaking around for months now. I got inspired by you and Jackie and your famous summer. She hasn't seen anyone else and neither did I"

"Holy crap man" Hyde said. He was still in shock "Red's not going to like this"

"I know, I don't want to give Mr. Red another heart attack!" Fez's was getting kind of desperate "But Laurie said she had a plan"

"What plan?"

"I don't know! When I asked Laurie about it, she started to cry and then she went to throw up!" He said exasperated "And then, she ate all my candy! All of it, Hyde!"

"Pregnancy hormones are hell man" Hyde commented "The only good part of them is that they made Jackie insanely horny"

"Lucky for Laurie I'm a stallion" Fez said with a perverted smile, then he frowned "But yesterday she said that if she had to see my face again, she would kill me"

"Yeah, that sounds legit" Hyde said "A few months ago I got Jackie some flowers. When I came back from work Jackie was bawling her eyes out on the couch with a flower without any petals in her hand. She was playing that _'He loves me, he loves me not'_ crap, and apparently the flower said I don't love her" Hyde scowled. That was a bad day. "It took me all night to convince her that I do love her, and when she finally stopped crying, I had to drive all the way to Kenosha because she wanted McDonald's chicken nuggets. At 3AM."

"Oh Hyde… What am I going to do?" Fez asked

"You're going to have a kid man, being a dad is awesome" Hyde said with a small smile "You could've chosen a better mother, though"

"Nah, Laurie and I have something special" Fez said with a small smile "I'm just so scared, what if I'm not a good father?"

"You're going to be fine man. Just for the love of God, don't give candy to your kid" Hyde said, remembering one of the times Fez babysat for him and Jackie "Being a dad is a whole different type of high, it's pretty cool. You'll know what I'm talking about once the kid is born"

Fez smiled and pulled Hyde into a hug "Thank you Hyde, and congratulations"

"Thanks man," Hyde said. He smiled at Fez one last time before going to see his family.

The minute he entered the room his smile grew. Red was gone, but Mrs. Forman was still there and she had Dylan in her arms, she was smiling at Jackie and Layla. Jackie was smiling brightly at their daughter and it looks like they were celebrating something.

Jackie saw Hyde standing at the door and nudged Layla "Go tell daddy your news, honey"

Layla nodded and ran to her father, who lifted her up in his arms and kissed her head.

"Hey daddy, guess what?" His daughter said excitedly

"What, munchkin?" He asked, bouncing her in his arms and making her giggle.

Layla hasn't said anything, she just looked at her father and gave him a big smile. He noticed what she wanted to show him right away and he couldn't help but smile back. Apparently, the tooth fairy is going to visit Layla for the first time tonight.

"Hey, there's something wrong in here…" He said playfully and Layla pointed at the gap between her teeth

"My tooth fell out!!" She said excitedly, and Hyde laughed.

"You are adorable" He said, kissing the top of her head

"Mommy said that the tooth fairy is going to visit me tonight at granny and grandpa's house!"

"Really?" He looked at Mrs. Forman and she nodded in confirmation, Hyde is spending the night at the hospital with Jackie and Dylan tonight, so Layla is spending the night at her grandparents’ house.

"Yes, and I'm going to buy a pony!" Layla said, extending her hand to Jackie, who handed her the fallen tooth so she can show it to her dad.

"A pony?" Hyde grimaced, and looked at Jackie "I swear to God, she's a mini version of you"

Jackie smiled "Yeah, isn't it awesome?"

Hyde just chuckled and looked at his daughter fondly "Now, why don't you give your tooth to grandma so she can make sure you won't lose it?"

"Okay!" She said, hopping off of her father's arms and going straight to Kitty, who handed the sleeping baby to Jackie.“Red’s probably waiting for us right now” She said, and tuned to look at Hyde “He’s moving the car, when he got here the parking lot was full and he had to park on the other block”

“Say bye to your mommy and daddy Layla, we need to go, or else grandpa Red will get mad and say the ‘d’ word” Kitty said, and Layla nodded, going to Jackie’s bed and letting her mother wrap her in a tight bear hug.

"Good night baby, mommy loves you so so so much" Jackie said, smothering her daughter with kisses.

"I love you too, mommy. You make sure to read a bedtime story to Dylan to keep his bad dreams away, okay?" She said and Jackie nodded, kissing her daughter's forehead one last time “Bye Dylan! Be good to mommy and daddy” She said, kissing her brother’s head.

She went to her father and gave him a big hug and a kiss before taking her little unicorn backpack and leaving the room with grandma Kitty.

"I'll be right back" Hyde pecked Jackie on the lips and followed Layla and Kitty out of the room.

"Hey baby girl, wait a second" He called his daughter and swooped her into his arms, making her giggle "I just want to make sure that you know how much I love you" He said

"Infinity times infinity!" She said, touching her little button nose to his "I love you too daddy"

"Good, now you be a good girl to grandma and grandpa tonight" He said, placing her on the ground again "And they'll bring you here right after breakfast to see me, your mommy and your brother again"

"And tomorrow we can go home? Everyone?" She asked with hopeful eyes

"Yup" Hyde said, ruffling his daughter's hair "And we're having pizza for dinner to celebrate your brother's first night at home, how does that sound like?" 

"Awesome!!" She celebrated and hugged her father

"See you tomorrow, kiddo" He said, kissing the top of her head "Love ya"

"Love you too, dad!" She said, skipping her way to Mrs. Forman "See you tomorrow!"

Hyde smiled and entered the room again; the baby was sleeping in the bassinet provided by the hospital and Jackie was looking at him with a dreamy smile.

“He’s so cute” She said when he sat down in bed next to her “I’m so happy, pudding”

Her eyes were filled with tears and he kissed her forehead, wrapping his arms around her.

“Me too” He said, with a small smile “You’re badass”

“I know” She smiled back “So is our little boy”

“Of course he is” He said “He’s going to kick-ass at the playground, I can already see it”

“Steven Hyde don’t you even joke about that!” Jackie said and he chuckled “My miracle baby boy is going to be a gentleman, just like his daddy”

“A miracle brought to us by that coconut bikini” Hyde smirked and Jackie gasped, lightly slapping him on the chest.

“Steven!” Jackie hissed at him as he laughed “We can’t even know for sure if he was conceived that day, we barely kept our hands off each other back in the Bahamas”

“Oh, it was the coconut bikini, doll” He answered “I was very excited that day”

Jackie rolled her eyes “Don’t I know that”

“You know he’s going to be a smartass just like me, right?” Hyde said

“Meh, he can’t be worse than you. Or Eric” She said with a small grimace

“Hey doll” He said, tilting his head so he could look at her in the eye “I love you”

“I love you too” She replied, smiling at him and pressing a tender kiss on his lips.

He kissed her back, and they both smiled into the kiss, both of them radiating that familiar feeling of pure bliss.

-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, the timeline is confusing on this one, so I’m explaining in here to avoid any confusion.
> 
> Jackie and Hyde decided to try for a baby again in January of 1986. Layla had just turned five and they had just moved back into Point Place and had steady jobs.
> 
> Jackie got pregnant 6 months after that, around June. She lost the baby the week after she found out she was pregnant. 
> 
> They decided to try again after a couple months, and nothing. After 8 months trying, Jackie and Hyde went to see a specialist in Milwaukee. That happened around May 1987. Four months after that, she got pregnant again (September 1987). She lost the baby in the same month.
> 
> They were both still recovering from that when Hyde surprised her on Christmas. They went to the Bahamas in January of 1988 and that’s where Dylan was conceived. He was born 9 months after that, in September.
> 
> To all the people reading this: I didn’t want to give much details about the miscarriages because I feel like it’s a very sensitive topic. I didn’t want for this to be depressing, but I also didn’t want to romanticize it.
> 
> I also feel like people don’t talk enough about miscarriages, I’ve researched a lot to write this, and I was genuinely surprised by the statistics. One in every four women is a lot.
> 
> Anyways, I hope you all liked this chapter. Dylan is my favorite from all the 3 kids, I can’t wait for you guys to know him better.
> 
> I tend to post progress updated on my [tumblr](https://zepellin-and-unicorns.tumblr.com), feel free to send me an ask if you have any questions about my stories!
> 
> Oh, and please let me know what you thought about this chapter. I loved it, but I’m also very insecure about it, since it deals with a very sensitive subject.
> 
> The next (and last) chapter will be up next week!


	3. Erica Grace Hyde

** Erica Grace Hyde **

_Friday, November 26, 1993_

"Congratulations, honey!" Jackie said, hugging her daughter "You were amazing"

"Thanks, mom!" She said "Did you see that part that I did a flip? That was totally improvised!"

"Good lord, you're just like your mother" Hyde said with a proud smile on his face, hugging his daughter with his free arm. He was holding a sleepy Dylan with the other one "You did great, pumpkin"

"Thanks dad!" Layla said, pressing a kiss to his cheek "Why is Dylan asleep?"

"Because ballet is boring" The boy mumbled against his father's chest, still with his eyes closed

Layla rolled her eyes and stomped her foot in annoyance, just like her mother. It'll never cease to amaze Hyde how much she's like Jackie.

"Anyways, mom, Lizzie’s waiting for me, I just wanted to say hi and ask what you thought about my performance” Layla said “Even though some people don’t appreciate seeing talent” She said, glaring at her brother, who’s already dozing off in his dad’s arms.

"Wait, where are you going?” Hyde asked

"Sleepover at Lizzie's, daddy, remember? I told you in the morning and you said I could go" Layla said

"You did say she could go, honey" Jackie remembered him

He doesn't actually remember, but he knows his girls are not lying. He spent the whole morning concerned about Jackie, she's been too dizzy and tired lately, and this morning he woke up with her puking on their bathroom.

To say he was worried would be an understatement.

“Okay then, call us when you get there?” He said, kissing Layla’s forehead

“Sure dad, we're going out for pizza now, but I'll call when we arrive at Katie's " Layla said, hugging her mother before going to meet with her friends “Katie will drop me at home tomorrow morning, see ya!”

“Who the hell is Katie?” Hyde asked his wife, watching Layla’s retreating figure

“Steven, Katie is Layla’s new best friend” Jackie explained “She just moved into town and they’re practicing to get into the cheer squad together”

“I thought Lizzie was her best friend?” Hyde asked with a small grimace, holding his wife’s hand in his free one as they walked through the parking lot. 

“That was until last week” Jackie answered simply “Lizzie sat with the Peterson girl and her bunch at lunch last week, and she knew that the girl had a small feud with Layla because of that hair barrette incident, and now Lizzie got demoted and Katie got promoted”

“But… Isn’t she going to have a sleepover at Lizzie’s?” Hyde asked, sounding genuinely confused, and Jackie smiled

“Yeah, but that’s like, a group sleepover Steven” Jackie said, rolling her eyes at her husband’s obliviousness “All the girls from her ballet class are going to sleep at Lizzie’s tonight, including Katie. But you know what I think? I think that Lizzie is going to try and woo Layla into being her best friend again, because Layla is beautiful and cool, and the Peterson girl just got headgear braces, so her social status just went down the plumber”

Hyde shot his wife an incredulous look, but she just smiled sweetly at him. Eventually, he sighed. “I’m too old for this crap”

“Please, you were never ‘too young for this crap’ either” Jackie replied “I went through the same things and you never cared when we were teens!”

“That’s because then I was too cool to care” He replied, unlocking the car with his free hand and placing his sleeping son on the backseat

“Aw, pudding, are you implying you’re not cool anymore?” Jackie teased him

“Jackie, I stopped being cool the moment I decided to retire the Camino and started to drive a freaking Volvo” Hyde said, starting the car “I mean, this is just lame, doll”

“Will you get over it already?” Jackie said “It’s been years Steven, and we needed a more family friendly car! Besides, it’s not like we sold it or something. It’s still sitting in the garage since you insist on keeping it”

“I’m giving it to Dylan when he turns 16” Hyde said “I have a feeling he’s gonna dig it” 

“Why not give it to Layla?” Jackie asked “She’s turning 16 in just a few years…”

“But when my baby girl turns 16, we’re getting her a new car, a safe car, with airbags, anti-lock brakes, and all that crap” He said

“And Dylan won’t?” Jackie raised an eyebrow, and Hyde smirked

“Believe me doll, Dylan will want the Camino" He answered, and Jackie nodded. It's true, her boy worships Steven, and even though he's only 5, he already talks about having 'dad's cool car' when he's old enough.

She placed her hand on the gearshift and Steven placed his hand on top of hers, interlacing their fingers as he drove. One of the things he missed the most about driving his Camino every day, was having his chick cuddled up with him as he drove, the front seats of the Volvo made it impossible for that to happen, but that didn't stop him from holding her hand whenever he could.

He glanced at his wife, she looked more tired than usual, but she insisted on telling him she was okay. He wasn't buying it, and he's going to talk to her tonight, she needs to see a doctor, because if something happens to her…

God, it makes him sick just to think about it.

The driveway was filled with snow, and he sighed. Being a homeowner in Wisconsin means having to shovel the driveway almost every single day. He parked the car carefully and went to pick up Dylan on the backseat as Jackie grabbed the house keys in her purse.

"I'll go put him in bed" Hyde said, gesturing at the sleeping kid in his arms "Can you order us a pizza? I don't feel like cooking dinner today"

"Sure, pudding" Jackie said with a tired smile, and Hyde glanced at her one last time before heading upstairs with Dylan.

The minute her husband was out of sight, she leaned into the counter to steady herself. She was trying her hardest not to worry Steven, because he freaks out if she has an ingrown nail, but it was getting hard to pretend nothing was happening.

She was dizzy, her period was late, her stomach was sensitive and she was having mild headaches every day for the past week.

The possibility of being pregnant crossed her mind, but after everything they've been through to have Dylan, she knew her chances of having another baby were slim to none, and she couldn't lie to herself, she was starting to get worried about her symptoms too.

She was working a lot lately, and she had a rough day. She spent almost the whole day designing a new line, then she went to Grooves to help Steven do the inventory because he really sucked at math, then they went to pick up the kids, she helped Layla get ready for her dance recital as Steven fed and bathed Dylan, who somehow always managed to come home from school with dirt all over himself. She was exhausted, but deep down she knew that wasn't the reason why she was feeling so shitty lately.

She felt his arms wrapping around her waist from behind, and leaned her head into his chest.

"You're calling a doctor first thing in the morning" He said, she turned around and raised her head to look at him.

"Steven, I already told you that I'm fine, I'm just working too much and…"

He interrupted her "I don't care, alright? You're still going to the doctor, and I'll go with you"

"Steven…" She tried to speak, but he interrupted her again

"It's settled, Jackie" He said in a stern tone, then he kissed her forehead when he noticed she was about to complain again "So I assume you didn't call the pizza place?"

"Sorry baby, I forgot" She said honestly, and he smiled at her

"It's okay" He replied "I'll do it"

"Actually…" Jackie sent him an apologetic look "My stomach feels like crap, can we just have some soup or something?"

"Anything you want" He said, grabbing two cans of canned soup from the top cabinet "Now you go lay on the couch and put on one of those annoying chick flicks you and Layla like so much on the TV. I'll join you as soon as I'm done with dinner"

"You don't have to…" 

"I want to and I will" He cut her off with a chaste kiss on her lips, and just when she was about to protest again, the phone in the living room started to ring "That's probably Layla. Go, I'll be there in a sec"

She sighed and went to the living room, turning the TV on and half-listening Steven's conversation with their eldest daughter, he's such a softie when it comes to Layla, Jackie thinks it's adorable. She heard his usual pleas for her to be careful, stay away from nasty boys, and she couldn't help but smile when she heard him telling he loves her infinity times infinity, he's been telling her that since she was a baby, it's the cutest thing she's ever seen.

When he hung up the phone, she directed her full attention to the TV, The Princess Bride was on and that was probably her favorite movie ever.

"That movie again?" She heard Steven's voice, he covered her with a blanket and placed two bowls of hot soup on the center table. Then he sat down next to her and pulled her into his arms.

"Please, you love that movie" She said, leaning further into him

"What? I don't…" He scoffed and she rolled her eyes "Fine, it's cool, but I don't _love_ it"

"Because you only love french fries, Zeppelin and your Camino" She teased him, remembering his words from years ago

"Nop" He grinned "I love my chick and my kids, french fries, Zeppelin and the Camino are nothing compared to you"

"Aww Steven" She cooed and smiled brightly at him "I love you too, baby"

"Of course you do, I just made you soup" He said, smirking at his wife. She just laughed and snuggled closer to him, once she was comfortable enough in her husband’s embrace, Steven pressed a gentle kiss on the back of her neck, and Jackie Burkhart came to the conclusion that she is the luckiest woman in the world.

* * *

_Monday, November 29, 1993_

Jackie took a deep breath as she walked to the front door of her house, she just came back from her doctor appointment and she had some big news for her husband.

Steven was supposed to go to the doctor with her, but Dylan woke them up in the middle of the night, vomiting and sporting a 100-degree fever. They took him to the ER and it turns out he had food poisoning; she wanted to stay home with her baby, but Steven refused to let her cancel her appointment, so he ended up home with Dylan while she dropped Layla at school and went to the doctor right after.

She tried to argue with him, but in the end, she caved. She knew that he had a point, she had been sick for the past weeks, she needed a checkup. 

That doesn’t mean she didn’t spend the entire morning thinking about her precious little baby boy. Dylan is such an enthusiastic kid, Steven likes to say he’s the personification of chaos, and he kind of has a point; if there’s one thing Dylan hates, it’s staying still and resting. But in the end, she was glad Steven made her go to the doctor, she received amazing news today.

She glanced at the envelope in her hands and smiled, sure, she was shocked at first, but now she couldn’t be happier, she just hopes her husband will feel the same way when she tells him.

Her first thought when she entered the house was that it was too quiet. Normally, that means trouble, but Layla was at school and Dylan was sick, so she just took off her coat and searched for her kid and her husband. She ended up seeing Steven in the laundry room, but no sign of Dylan so far.

"How was the doctor's appointment?" Hyde asked, throwing a vomit-soaked shirt into the washing machine.

"First things first, how's my baby?" Jackie asked, kissing his cheek and frowning at the vomit smell, she was struggling not to run into the toilet, but she needed to know about Dylan before anything, she couldn't stop thinking about him all morning.

"He threw up on me, twice" Hyde said, closing the washing machine door and starting the cycle "He's better now though, laughed his ass off when he saw me covered in chunks"

"Of course he did" Jackie said with a small smile "You gave him the medicine?"

"Yeah, he's taking a nap now" He answered, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her cheek "Don't worry, I've showered right after he went to bed. Now tell me about the doctor's appointment, what did he say?"

"Can we go make some hot cocoa first?" She pouted slightly, wanting to leave the vomit-smelling room as soon as possible "It's a snowy day and I've been craving hot cocoa all day"

"Sure" He said, going to the kitchen with her. She was stalling him, he knew it, and he was starting to get worried. He knew better than to push her though, so he just prepared two hot cocoa mugs for them, with the mini marshmallows on top.

She took a few sips of the warm liquid, and he wrapped his arm around her waist. Relishing the feeling of his arm around her, she decided to just get this over with, it's not like she's going to give him bad news.

"Now, please, don't freak out…" Jackie said after a couple minutes of silence, placing her mug on the counter, and his heart was already beating frantically inside his chest.

"Telling me not to freak out is basically asking me to freak out, Jackie!" Hyde said, letting go of his wife so he could pace around the kitchen in anxiety, the same thought running over and over on his mind _'please don't be sick, please don't be sick, please don't be sick…'_

"I'm pregnant" She blurted out, and Hyde felt like the weight of the world was lifted off his shoulders.

"Oh, thank God" He said, breathing relieved, wrapping his arms around her and engulfing her in a tight hug "Damn woman, you scared the crap outta me, don't do that again"

"Steven, did you even hear me?" Jackie asked, puzzled at his reaction, she figured he would've been at least a little bit shocked, like she was "I have a child inside of me! Your child, Steven!"

"It better be" He said jokingly, tightening his grip on her "I heard ya, doll"

"So? That's it? You're not going to say anything?" She asked, putting her hands on his shoulders and looking at him in the eye "Huh"

"Well, another kid wouldn't be that bad" He said with a small smile on his face "But after all the trouble we had to conceive Dylan I thought…"

"Well, I thought so too" Jackie said "But apparently we were wrong"

"Are you..." He started, and Jackie cut him off with a very threatening glare.

"Steven, I swear to God, if you call me old, I will kill you" She said

"What? Are you crazy, woman? You're 33!" He said, looking puzzled "I was going to ask you if you were sure, because I just thought that the chances were… well, pretty slim. We weren't even trying"

"Well, it's not like we use protection anymore… So technically, we weren't 'not trying', we just never thought it would actually work" She grinned "And yes, I'm sure, the doctor did a blood test and everything. I'm really happy about this, Steven"

She handed him the envelope, he smiled when he opened it and saw that she was indeed pregnant again.

"Holy shit…" He kissed her tenderly "Three kids… that's what you always wanted, right?"

"Yeah" She laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck "I just never thought it would be possible"

"What exactly did the doctor say?" He asked. He was happy with this pregnancy, but he couldn't help but be a little afraid of things going wrong. Jackie suffered two miscarriages before Dylan was born, and they crushed them.

"He said that things are okay for now" She answered "And that I need to be careful with a few things, just like when I was pregnant with Dylan. Look, I’m already 7 weeks pregnant” She said, pointing at the paper “The risk is slightly lower now, but I still think we should wait until the second trimester to tell everyone because…”

Hyde interrupted her by kissing her passionately on the lips, and she giggled happily into his mouth. He picked her up and spun her around as they kissed, and Jackie was about to demand him to take her to their room so they could celebrate things properly when they heard tiny steps coming down the stairs.

Dylan was standing in the staircase, wearing only his batman undies and a Star Wars shirt that Jackie had no idea where it came from. He was clutching his ‘My Pet Monster’ plushie and staring at his parents with disgust.

“Ew!” The boy voiced his distaste for the scene in front of him, and Hyde laughed as he placed his wife on the ground. The second her feet touched the floor again, Jackie ran into her baby boy and wrapped him in a tight hug.

“How are you doing, sweetie?” She asked, placing her hand on his forehead to check his temperature as Hyde observed them with amusement. “Are you feeling better? Do you want to throw up again? Why aren’t you in bed? And…”

“Mom I’m fine” Dylan tried to say, but Jackie still didn’t let him go. He sighed and dropped his beloved monster plushie to wrap his tiny arms around his concerned mother “I was just going to ask dad if I can watch TV, I don’t feel like sleeping”

“You never feel like sleeping” Hyde argued, and the small boy just shrugged “And you were complaining about a headache”

“I’m better now” The boy lied, and Hyde crossed his arms and stared at his son

“You vomited all over me less than an hour ago”

Dylan laughed “Yeah, that was funny”

Hyde just glared at him and Jackie resisted the urge to laugh. She looked at her son again and tenderly ran her hands through his untamed dirty blonde curls.

“Where did this shirt came from?” Jackie asked, grimacing at the sight of Luke Skywalker stamped on her son’s shirt.

“Uncle Eric gave it to me a while ago” Dylan said nonchalantly

“And it was the only non-puked shirt available” Hyde said, and Jackie nodded in understanding. She looked back at her son and cradled his small face on her hand.

“You sure you’re feeling better, sweetie?” Jackie asked, and the boy nodded

“I don’t feel like throwing up anymore” He said honestly

“Then you go choose a movie and mommy and daddy are going to watch it with you, okay?” She said, and he smiled, hugging his mother one more time before taking his plushie and going to the living room to pick a movie.

Hyde approached his wife again, with a small smile on his face.

“You are such a good mom” He said, placing his hand in her belly “Heard that, pea? You have the best mom ever, you’re a lucky kid”

Jackie felt her eyes watering, and she wrapped her arms around Steven’s waist. He cradled her head under his chin and ran his hands through her back lovingly.

“You are too good for me, Steven Hyde” She said, kissing his lips tenderly “And you’re right, this baby is lucky, because it has you as a father. You’re perfect”

He smiled at her, and was about to say something when they heard Dylan’s voice from the living room.

“Dad! I can’t find the ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ tape!”

Jackie smiled “Go, I’ll make us some popcorn”

Hyde kissed her cheek before going to the living room to help Dylan, and she ran her thumb through her belly before going to the kitchen.

She glanced at the living room while she added the popcorn kernels to the pot, Steven was struggling to put the tape on the VCR while Dylan laughed at him, and she grinned at the sight of her boys. Jackie barely had a family growing up, and she and Steven managed to create a perfect little family of their own, a family that was soon getting a new member. She couldn’t be happier.

* * *

_Tuesday, June 21, 1994_

"It hurts" She cried into Hyde's chest and he sighed, rubbing her back.

Jackie’s water broke in the middle of Kelso’s barbecue, Kelso and Brooke just moved back to Point Place a few weeks ago, and he insisted on hosting a barbecue, something about being an awesome griller because of his fondness for fire. Things were doing well, Jackie was thrilled to have Brooke living in the same city as her again, but then she went into labor three weeks before her due date and Hyde started to freak out. He drove Jackie to the hospital while she cried due to her contractions, Hyde knew he was about to get many speeding tickets, so Dylan and Layla followed behind with Forman and Donna.

Their girl was definitely in a rush to get out, because as soon as they arrived at the hospital, the doctors sent them straight to the delivery room. And now here he was, holding his wife as she went through hell to deliver their baby.

This is the worst part, seeing Jackie in tremendous pain and not being able to do a damn thing to help. You'd think that being the third time and all, it would get easier.

It doesn't.

"It'll be over soon doll; I promise" He said helplessly

"Just one more push, Mrs. Hyde" The nurse said "One more push and you'll be able to hold your baby girl"

"Okay…" Jackie whispered "Just one more?" She asked the nurse, and she nodded "Oh… here it goes"

Her face scrunched up in pain again, and she screamed with agony. It was almost unbearable for Hyde to watch, but he had to.

"You're doing great, Jackie" He whispered in her ear and dried her sweaty forehead with a cloth. A few seconds after that, her screaming stopped, and a loud cry could be heard.

"There she is!" The doctor exclaimed, Hyde looked in awe at the goo and blood covered baby and smiled. She has her mother's lungs.

"She's so beautiful…" Jackie whispered, and Hyde turned to look at his wife again. Her face was getting paler and fear crippled into his spine.

"Jackie, baby?" He called her softly, but she closed her eyes "Doll? Jackie?!" 

"Doctor, Mrs. Hyde's unconscious!" A nurse informed, and Hyde's panic grew.

"Jackie?" He called her again, no response. "Jackie!" He yelled. His whole world stopped. He couldn't hear the doctor giving out orders to the nurses, he couldn't hear the cries of his newborn daughter. All he could focus on was his beautiful wife lying limp on the table.

"Mr. Hyde, you need to step outside" One of the nurses instructed, trying to pry Hyde away from Jackie.

"No, I won't leave her, you can’t make me leave her" He said, shrugging the nurses hands off him and clutching Jackie’s hand desperately.

"Mr. Hyde you have to leave…" She tried again, unsuccessfully

"I'm not leaving her!" He yelled, and the nurse sighed before turning to one of her colleagues.

"I need you to bring nurse Forman here _now._ She's on the waiting room" She instructed "Go fast, and ask her to bring some help"

The nurse ran and less than a minute later a teary Mrs. Forman barged into the room, followed by Kelso, Fez and Forman.

"Steven, honey, we need to leave," She said gently, but he couldn't hear her. He couldn't hear anyone.

"C'mon Jackie, don't do this to me…" He cried and kissed her hand "You can't leave me"

"Hyde man, let's go" Eric said, placing his hand on Hyde's shoulder

Hyde shrugged him off, but his hearing came back after he heard the desperate words from one of the nurses.

"Doctor, she's bleeding out!"

Then he felt two strong pairs of arms engulfing him and dragging him out of the room.

"YOU PUT ME DOWN! NOW!" He yelled, but he was already out of the room. Kelso and Fez did not let go of him until they reached the waiting room. Mrs. Forman and Eric followed behind.

"Hyde, calm the fuck down!" Eric yelled "You have to let the doctors work!"

"But Jackie…" He whispered, in a vulnerable tone Eric never heard before "Jackie needs me"

"There's nothing you can do, man" Eric said sadly "They'll let us know if something happens, you're gonna have to wait here"

Hyde sighed and sat in one of the chairs, burying his face in his hands in a failed attempt to keep himself together.

"How's the baby?" Mrs. Forman asked after a few minutes

Fuck. He didn't even ask about the baby. He didn't even get to hold the kid. What kind of lousy father is he? Shit. 

"She's fine, I guess" He mumbled pathetically "I haven't really checked"

Mrs. Forman gave him a sad smile "That's understandable. I will go to the nursery to see her, wanna come?" 

"Jackie…" He whispered. He felt like shit, but he knew the kid was alright, Jackie on the other hand…

"It's okay honey" She said soothingly, running her fingers through his hair, bringing tears to his eyes. Jackie always does that to him when he's upset. "The boys are going to wait here with you, alright?"

He nodded, and directed his gaze to the floor. Jackie and his kids are his life, he can't lose her, he just can't.

"Where are the kids?" Hyde asked Kelso after Mrs. Forman left

"Donna, Laurie and Red took them to grab something to eat before…" He answered "Brooke left a few minutes ago to tell them".

Hyde nodded again, his heart beating frantically inside his chest. He wanted to punch something, he wanted to yell, to lose his fucking shit until someone tells him his wife is okay.

The four boys spent almost half an hour in silence, Eric, Fez and Kelso constantly glancing at Hyde every few seconds to make sure he was okay. The curly haired man still had his face buried in his hands, and except for the constant noise of his foot anxiously tapping the floor, he stayed in silence.

Until Red Forman entered the room, and sat next to Hyde without saying a thing.

Hyde wasn’t taking it anymore; someone needs to update him about his wife right fucking now or he might as well explode. He stood up, and was about to go yell at someone when a nurse approached the group of men.

“Mr. Hyde” The nurse said, and Hyde directed his full attention to her

“How is she?” He asked in a hoarse voice

“She’s in surgery” The nurse replied and Hyde felt like someone stabbed him “She’s… she’s losing a lot of blood, her state is critical at the moment, the doctors are doing everything they can but…”

No. This can’t be happening.

“But we’re not sure if she’s going to make it” The nurse finished, and it was then that Hyde felt the worse pain he’d ever felt in his entire life.

“No” He muttered to himself, pacing around the room “This can’t be happening”

“Hyde…” He heard Eric’s voice, but he turned to look back at the nurse.

“Save my wife, please… Just save her” He begged, and the nurse sent him a sad look before leaving the room.

“Dad, where are the kids?” Eric asked, turning to look at his father, he couldn’t bear to see Hyde like this

“With the girls” He answered “They’re stalling them, but they should be back soon”

Eric nodded and lowered his head, and Red stared at his adoptive son, who seemed to be losing more control at each second.

"Steven…" Red calmly called

Hyde didn’t hear him, he felt like he was about to explode, his whole world was falling apart and fuck, he really needed his wife.

Red sighed and placed his hand on Hyde's shoulder. He finally took his eyes off the ground and stared at his father-figure.

Red has never seen Steven looking so frazzled before, and he knew what he had to do.

"Come with me" He said, and Hyde followed him until they found themselves in an empty hallway.

"Red… I... I need to go back, what if they have news?" Hyde said, his voice hoarse from the effort of holding his tears in.

Red sighed "Someone will let us know if something happens. Now sit down and tell me what you're thinking"

"I'm thinking that… She has to be okay, I can't live without her" Hyde choked out, finally breaking down in front of the man he considered to be his father.

The mere possibility of a life without Jackie brought him an immeasurable pain, she's his everything.

His body started to shake with sobs, and he buried his head on his hands. He didn’t want to be weak, especially not in front of the man he considers to be the strongest of all, but fuck, his doll’s life has hanging by a thread, and what the hell is he supposed to do without her? She’s the love of his life, the mother of his children, she’s his fucking soulmate.

Red Forman, the man that many people say doesn’t have a soul, felt his heart breaking for the boy in front of him. He gently guided Hyde to sit in one of the chairs, and sat next to him as he sobbed, not removing his hand of his shoulder.

"I know you're living your worst nightmare right now, son" Red said, with a soft tone he only heard him using before with Kitty, and sometimes Jackie, Layla and Hannah. "But you know who else will feel the same? Your kids"

Hyde's breath hitched at the mention of his munchkins. Fuck, Red's right. He's been so focused on Jackie and his own pain that he hasn't stopped to think about how Layla and Dylan are going to deal with this.

"Out of all the 6 people that infested my basement during all of those years, the loud one is the strongest" Red said "She's been through hell before, and she's going to get through this, she's the toughest of you all"

"What if she can't?" Hyde whispered. He doesn't even want to imagine what the hell will happen to him if Jackie… 

He can't think about that. He won't.

“We’ll deal with that if that happens” Red replied, and took a deep breath.

"You know… there’s nothing wrong with falling apart, we’re men, but we’re also humans" He continued "We are going to stay here for fifteen minutes, and you're going to let it all out right now. But when the fifteen minutes are over, you are going to get your shit together, go to your kids, tell them the news, and wait, like the rest of us"

Hyde nodded in understanding, burying his face back on his hands and letting it all out. Red sat on the chair next to him, hearing the man he considers to be his son sobbing and yelling in agony.

He placed his hand on Hyde's back and let out a few tears himself, the loud one is his favorite, and he would cut off a limb if that means she'll be okay.

Neither of them noticed the small boy standing in the end of the hallway, holding an ice cream cone and looking confused at the scene in front of him.

* * *

Red patted his shoulder one last time before going into the waiting room. Hyde wiped his face and prepared himself to see his kids and give them the news about Jackie. Red was right, he needs to be strong for the kids.

He followed behind Red and saw a crowded waiting room, the girls were back, along with the kids, but before he could even announce his presence in the room, Layla ran to him.

"Daddy, what's going on?" Layla asked, with tears on her eyes. He took a deep breath to try and keep his shit together. He needs to. “Everyone is crying and no one is telling us anything. Where’s mom?”

"Come here, kiddo" He said, opening his arms to embrace his daughter. He pressed a kiss to her temple before kneeling down to be face to face with Dylan.

"Is mom okay?" He asked, looking way too mature for a 5 year old. "Where's our new sister?"

Hyde sat down in one of the chairs, and Layla sat next to him, while Dylan stood in front of them. They both looked expectantly at their father and he prepared himself to tell his kids about their mother’s condition.

"Your mom had some problems while she was delivering your new sister" Hyde started, trying his hardest to keep his voice from cracking "They had to take her to emergency surgery"

Layla started to sob, and Dylan looked confused.

"Is that why you were crying?" He asked fearfully, his eyes filling with tears. Hyde took another deep breath; he had no idea that Dylan watched the whole scene. "What is surgery? Is mommy dead?"

Hearing those words coming out of his son's mouth made Hyde's already shattered heart shatter some more.

"No, your mom is not dead" He said firmly "She had some problems and the doctors are fixing her up, so she can come back to us, okay?"

"Okay…"

Hyde sighed and hugged both of his kids at once "We have to wait here until the doctor updates us. Then, if everything goes well, I'm taking you both to meet your new sister”

Dylan nodded and Layla buried her head on Hyde’s chest as she sobbed. Hyde took a deep breath and ran his fingers soothingly through his daughter’s dark hair, he wrapped his other arm around Dylan and closed his eyes.

And for the first time in his life, Steven Hyde prayed.

* * *

Over three hours have passed and no one updated them yet. Hyde was about to go insane.

He held a sleeping Dylan on his lap, he fell asleep about an hour ago. Layla was sitting with Brooke, laying her head on her godmother’s shoulder and letting out a few sobs every now and then.

The waiting room was filled with people. WB came from Milwaukee, and was sitting next to Red, who held his wife and gently rubbed her back as she prayed. Betsy, Mikey and Lucas stayed in the hospital, while Laurie took the younger kids to the Forman’s, asking for someone to call her as soon as there’s any news.

Donna was sniffling softly, Lucas and Eric sitting next to her, Kelso and Mikey played cards in a corner, but neither of them looked focused on the game. Fez was sitting next to them and watching the game with a gloomy expression on his face, and Betsy was reading a book next to her mother and Layla.

They heard steps and saw the same doctor that performed Jackie’s delivery approaching the group, and all eyes were on him. Hyde was about to stand up when he remembered that Dylan was sleeping on his lap, so he just stared at the doctor expectantly.

“How is she?” Kitty asked, and the doctor sighed. He looked exhausted.

"She's alive" The doctor said, and everyone breathed relieved. Until they saw the look on the doctor's face. "But we don't know if she'll make it through the night"

Hyde buried his face on Dylan's wild curly hair. He would do anything to trade places with his doll right now, anything.

"Why?" Mrs. Forman asked, looking forlorn

"Mrs. Hyde had an active bleeding on her uterus, it’s a rare condition, called placenta accreta. Her placenta was too attached to the uterine wall, and she had a massive hemorrhage when she was delivering the baby" The doctor explained "We had to perform a partial hysterectomy and she lost a lot of blood"

Mrs. Forman gasped, and Hyde had a bad feeling “You had to perform a what?”

“A hysterectomy” The doctor said, looking sadly at Hyde “I’m sorry Mr. Hyde, but we had to remove your wife’s uterus”

Hyde felt the wind getting knocked out of him, and handed his sleeping son to Mrs. Forman so he could stand up and face the doctor.

“What?” He asked, trying to catch his breath “You removed her uterus?!”

“We had to, or she would’ve died on the table, Mr. Hyde” The doctor said, WB stood up and placed comforting hand on Hyde’s shoulder

“So… Jackie can’t have more children?” Hyde asked, he looked very upset. He was more than thankful that Jackie was alive, and it’s not like they planned on having more children, but he knew this was going to crush his wife.

“I’m sorry Mr. Hyde” The doctor said honestly, and Hyde ran his hands through his hair in a failed attempt to control himself “Your wife is currently at the ICU, she lost a lot of blood, and… She needs blood transfusions. She used a large part of our stock today and we had a big trauma case a few hours ago, there’s no more blood in the hospital for your wife, and if she doesn’t get more transfusions…”

"How the hell does a hospital run out of blood?!" Hyde interrupted the doctor, getting angrier by the second "You call all the other hospitals in the area, get my wife the blood she needs! What the hell kind of hospital is this?!"

"Mr. Hyde, you have to understand that we only had a limited amount and other patients needed blood too…" The doctor tried to explain

"Screw that!" Hyde said "Break the fucking procedure, you guys want more money? I'll clean my entire bank account now! Just save my wife!"

"Steven…" Mrs. Forman said, placing a hand on his arm 

"No, I won't accept that crap, Mrs. Forman! Jackie is just another patient for them, just another number in a freaking chart, they don't give a crap about her!" He yelled, and turned to look at the doctor "Well, guess what? That woman is my life, she's everything to me! If you kill her, you would be killing me too! Your job is to save lives, to save _her_ life! Just save my fucking wife!”

"Is anyone here O negative?" The doctor asked "We can try a direct donation, it could work"

The whole room was quiet, as almost everyone shook their heads negatively. Except for two people.

"I am!" Eric and Red said at the same time, and everyone's attention was on them.

The doctor smiled "I need to take you both to fill out some forms. There's a lot of bureaucracy in this, but it's her best shot"

Kitty sighed and sent Hyde an apologetic look "Red honey, you can't donate. You have a heart condition; you take medication every day and you're over 65" 

"So?" He asked indignantly

"It can do more harm than good, honey" Mrs. Forman smiled sadly at him

"Can I donate?" Layla asked, lifting her head off Brooke’s shoulders. Her face was tear stained and her eyes were bloodshot red.

"You're too young" Kitty said

"Hello?! I can donate!" Eric called everyone's attention to him 

"Follow me then" The doctor said, and when Eric stood up to follow him Hyde pulled him to a tight hug

"Thank you, Forman" Hyde whispered, letting a few tears fall "Thank you so much"

"You're welcome, pal" He smiled and patted Hyde's back "She'd do it for any of us without even thinking twice”

Mrs. Forman followed them and pulled the doctor to a corner. They talked for a few seconds and she sent Hyde a small smile.

“The doctor said you can go see her as soon as she stabilizes” She said, looking at Hyde “That’ll take another hour or two, but someone will come get you”

Hyde nodded and sent a grateful smile to her. His heart was still heavy, and he wanted nothing more than to see his wife again, but there’s also someone else he’s aching to meet.

Layla walked to him and hugged him tight, and he felt some weight being lifted off his shoulders. Jackie wasn’t out of the woods, but the worst part is over, Forman is going to help, she’s going to be okay, she _has_ to be okay.

“Want to go meet your new sister?” He said, and Layla looked up at him and gave him the Jackie smile, the smile that melts him completely on the inside and turns him into a drooling idiot that’ll say yes to anything his girls want.

“Yes!!” She said excitedly

“Can I take them?” He asked Mrs. Forman and gestured his two children. Mrs. Forman smiled and nodded.

“I don’t think they can go inside the nursery, but they can still see the baby through the glass. I’ll go with you” She replied, and Layla went to wake up her younger brother.

The minute Layla mentioned that they can see their new baby sister Dylan jumped awake. Dylan tried really hard to act “cool” and “nonchalant” over the fact that he was going to be a big brother, but deep down, both Jackie and Hyde knew that the boy was very happy with the prospect of not being the baby anymore.

Layla grabbed Dylan’s hand and the family walked through the hospital’s halls, guided by Mrs. Forman, who seemed to be way more relaxed than she was an hour ago. That made Hyde feel a little bit better.

Hyde had never really been in a nursery. When Layla and Dylan were born, the babies barely left he and Jackie’s side, and they stayed in the same room as Jackie. But since Jackie is in the ICU…

Mrs. Forman stayed on the other side of the glass with the kids and Hyde entered the room with a nurse, who asked for him to keep quiet and gestured to the small bassinet on the left side of the room.

He saw a small sign on top of the bassinet, reading “Baby Girl Hyde”, and for the first time since Jackie was taken into surgery, he smiled. The nurse handed him the baby and he was instantly hypnotized. She was so tiny and delicate, and he loves her so much already.

“God, I’m screwed” He whispered when the baby girl opened her eyes. One of her eyes is green, the other one is blue. Mismatched eyes, just like Jackie’s. He teared up, and lightly rocked the baby on his arms.

He moved to stand near the glass and showed the baby to Dylan and Layla, who looked at the pink bundle on Hyde’s arms with awe.

The baby gurgled and smiled at him, and the same high he felt when his two other children were born overtook him. He sat on the chair the nurse pointed to him with the baby in his arms and prayed for Jackie to be able to feel this way too soon.

* * *

Hyde was back at the waiting room now, only Red, Kitty, Donna and Layla were keeping him company. It was getting late and Brooke and Kelso went home with their children and Lucas, who was staying with the Kelso’s until Eric finished donating blood. WB went to book a hotel room, and after a lot of talking, Hyde convinced Dylan to spend the night at Fez’s and Laurie’s. He wanted to see his mother, but Hyde explained to him that he was still too young and that he wouldn’t be able to see his mother until she was transferred to a private room anyways, in the end, Dylan went with Fez, but not before making his father promise to call if anything happens.

Layla refused to leave, and no one was able to convince her to go home, she wasn’t a child anymore and said she was only going home when her dad does. Hyde reluctantly caved, she was old enough to understand what was happening and she had Jackie stubbornness, she could argue for days if needed.

The same nurse that gave him the news that Jackie was in surgery approached the group with a small, tired smile on her face.

"Mr. Hyde, you want to see your wife?" The nurse asked, and he nodded.

"Can I go too?" Layla asked, standing next to her father, who hugged her tight

"How old are you, honey?" The nurse asked

"13" Layla answered

The nurse gave her a sad smile "I'm sorry, but you have to be at least 16 years old to visit someone in the ICU" 

Layla started to cry again and Hyde kissed the top of her head. "It's okay baby, you'll see your mom later, alright?"

"Can you give her a kiss, for me?" She asked and Hyde nodded

"Of course, sweetheart" He said "I’ll be back soon, okay?" 

Layla nodded and Hyde kissed the top of her head one last time before following the nurse to the ICU.

As they entered the Intensive Care Unit, Hyde tried to prepare himself for what he was about to see.

But part of him still died when he saw her.

His doll was lying motionless in the hospital bed, looking extremely pale. Her hair laid flat on her shoulders, and she had a tube in her mouth, seeing Jackie like that felt wrong.

Yeah, they did the right thing by not allowing Layla in. This would crush her. Almost as much as it's crushing him.

“She’s intubated for now because she just had major surgery and it can be a lot on the body” The nurse explained “Once she gets new blood transfusions, she’ll get better and we can extubate her. The worst part is almost over, Mr. Hyde”.

He nodded and the nurse left the room to give him some privacy.

"Hey doll" He said, pulling the chair to sit closer to her bed and kissing her forehead. "This one is from Layla. She's terrified"

"I'm terrified too" He admitted "You need to hang it in there, baby. Forman is donating blood right now, then you'll be okay again. Just hang it in there"

No response. All he could hear was the noise of the machines currently hooked up in his doll.

"You… I love you so, so much, Jackie" He said, kissing her hand "You can't leave me, I won't let you. You're my life"

He delicately grabbed the hand that was not hooked to in IV, and gently rubbed his thumb through her wrist. Her hand was cold and pale, but he could still see the fading tan lines on her left ring finger; they probably took her rings out for surgery, but the lines were still there.

He glanced at his own left hand and slightly lifted his wedding band. He has the same tan line. He smiled at the sight.

Sometimes he still can’t believe that he spent over 15 years with Jackie by his side, time definitely flew by. It seemed like it was yesterday that they were sneaking around and making out on the basement’s couch whenever they found themselves alone.

“Remember what you said, when Layla and Dylan were born?” He asked, knowing she won’t answer “You said we make good looking babies, and you were right. Our new daughter is so beautiful, Jackie. You need to wake up and see her”

He brought her hand to his mouth and pressed a tender kiss on the soft flesh, aching for any kind of response he knew he wouldn’t get.

“She has your eyes” He said “One green, one blue, the most beautiful eyes in the whole world, doll. The second I looked into her eyes I was gone; the girl is barely a day old and I would kill anyone who looks at her the wrong way”

He kept talking to her, describing how beautiful their new baby girl is, telling Dylan and Layla’s reaction when they met their new sister, and asking for her to wake up soon so she can see everything for herself.

He stopped talking when the same nurse from before came in with three bags of blood in her hand. Hyde looked shocked at her, did all of this come from Forman? The scrawniest person alive?

"You have a very persistent friend, Mr. Hyde" The nurse said with a small smile "Usually, people are only allowed to donate one pint of blood, but he managed to convince the doctors to donate more"

"He did?" 

"He did" She smiled as she adjusted Jackie's IV "He threatened to go on TV if they didn't let him donate more, so we broke protocol because he wasn't giving up anytime soon"

"Yeah?" Hyde asked with a small smile. And for the first time since Jackie closed her eyes, he chuckled. The idea of Forman making a scene in front of the doctors and nurses because he wanted to save Jackie was very amusing.

"He kept donating until he passed out" She explained "Don't worry, he's going to be fine. He's in observation for now, and his wife brought him some McDonalds. He's having a field day"

She set the three blood bags in a metal bin and started to fiddle with Jackie’s IV tubes, trying to find the right one so she could hook up the blood.

"The worst part is over, Mr. Hyde" She said as she placed the blood bad next to the saline one "Now we just have to wait. If she doesn't bleed out again, she will be fine"

"Oh, thank God" He breathed relieved and the nurse left the room "Did ya hear that, doll? All you have to do is _not_ bleed out. So don't. You're the most stubborn person I know, so you use your stubbornness for something good"

He kissed her hand one more time and laced his fingers with hers, watching the tube in her arm becoming red with fascination. He glanced at the blood bag and promised to himself that he’s getting Forman the full Star Wars Lego set as soon as Jackie’s out of the hospital.

* * *

_Thursday, June 23, 1994_

“Ouch” She mumbled sleepily, and Hyde immediately woke up.

The past two days were living hell to Hyde. Jackie was slowly getting better; she was transferred to a private room the day before and the doctors said it was a matter of time until she wakes up. So, he spent the last 48 hours alternating between Jackie’s room and the nursery.

The pediatricians were ready to discharge the baby, but he needed to sign the birth certificate, and he refused to do that without Jackie. They hadn’t decided on a name yet, and if he chose a name Jackie didn’t like he was never going to hear the end of it.

“Steven, you’re squeezing my IV” He heard Jackie’s tired voice, and immediately opened his eyes.

He saw Jackie delicately rubbing her eyes with the hand that wasn’t being held by his, and he grinned at the sight in front of him.

"You're awake" He mumbled, cupping her face on his hands to make sure he wasn't dreaming "Holy shit… you're awake!"

"Hey, pudding" She said, her voice was kind of hoarse because of the breathing tube she had on her throat two days before, but he barely noticed. She was looking at him with those mismatched eyes that make him crazy, and she had such a tender look on her face.

His doll was here again. His eyes watered up and he felt like he was swallowing fire. It only took one look for Jackie to realize that her husband was on the verge of tears, so she raised her arms and used all of her strength to bring him closer so she could engulf him in a tight hug.

She could feel the wetness from his tears, and tightened their embrace. He just kept kissing every inch of her beautiful face, he could feel the taste of his own tears, but he didn't mind, she's fucking alive.

Then he glued his forehead against hers, and looked deeply at her mismatched eyes, the sensation of relief consumed him, and before he could do anything to stop it, he was sobbing on her shoulders.

She closed her eyes and ran her fingers through his hair, the way she always does when he’s upset. Fuck, he missed her _so much_.

"Shhh…" She whispered "It's okay baby, I'm here… and I'm not leaving anytime soon"

They stayed in that position for a while, until he calmed down and started to breathe properly again. She kissed the top of his head when she felt him kissing her neck adoringly, and he raised his head so he could look her in the eye.

His eyes were swollen and red, but he had such a big smile on his face, Jackie couldn’t help but smile back.

“What do you remember?” He asked, cradling the side of her face with his hand

“I was giving birth and…” She started, then she had a panicked look on her face “Oh my God, Steven, is the baby okay?”

“She’s fine, perfect, actually” He replied “She’s beautiful, she has your eyes”

Jackie smiled “Where is she? Also, where are my other babies? Where’s Layla and Dylan?”

“The baby is in the nursery with Mrs. Forman and Dylan and Layla are with Eric and Donna in the waiting room” He explained, and she nodded “I’ll get your doctor, then I’ll see if I can bring them here”

“No, Steven, wait” She grabbed his hand before he could go and looked him in the eye “What happened?”

He sighed, he knew it was a matter of time before she asked, and he knew he was going to be the one telling her about the surgery, but she just came back to him, he doesn’t want to make her sad.

“After the baby was born, you passed out on the table” He began to explain “You lost a lot of blood, so they had to take you to surgery. The doctor said the placenta was stuck to your uterus, or something like that, you were out for two days after surgery and…”

“I had placenta accreta?” She asked with tears in her eyes. Hyde had no idea how she knows what that was, but he nodded anyways “But that’s like, really rare”

“Yeah, the doctor said that” He said, running his thumb through her hand “How do you know what that is anyways?”

“I’ve read a lot of pregnancy books, Steven” Jackie explained, and a few tears escaped her eyes. Hyde quickly moved his hand to wipe them off “The chances of survival are pretty slim, how did I…”

“You… Fuck doll, you scared me to death, the doctors were saying you probably weren’t going to make it and I was almost losing it” He said “They… They had to remove your uterus, doll”

Jackie gasped and started to cry almost immediately, but Hyde still held her face on his hands, he knew she was going to be crushed about this, but he needs to tell her more.

“Doll, no… please don’t cry” He pleaded with her “The doctors said you can live normally and… Jackie, you’re here, statistically, you weren’t supposed to survive this, but you did. I didn’t lose my wife, our children didn’t lose their mother, we’ll get to see them graduating, forming their own families… We’ll get to grow old together, Jackie. Do you know how fucking amazing this is? And…”

Jackie quickly wiped her tears off and kissed her husband on the mouth, he responded immediately, moving one of his hands to the back of her head and tangling his fingers on her raven locks.

“It’s okay, Steven” She said, breaking their kiss “I mean, it’s not… It’s a lot to deal with, and I’ll probably cry a lot about it later, but right now… I’m really happy to be here, I’m really happy that I’m alive”

“So am I” He said honestly

“Can I see my kids now?” She asked, and he smiled

“Sure, I’ll go get the doctor first, alright?” He asked and she nodded.

So many thoughts were running through her head at the same time, she was sad, confused, happy, all at once. But she wanted, no, she _needed_ to see her children. She was missing them like crazy.

* * *

The second Hyde entered the room with a small smile on his face, Jackie sat up expectantly, and she beamed when she saw the nurse following behind him, wheeling the hospital bassinet inside her room.

Her eyes teared up when she saw the small pink bundle that was resting inside the small bassinet. Hyde picked the baby up and carefully handed her to his wife, who started crying immediately.

“Hi…” She whispered, looking at the tiny human she made with her husband “Hey baby girl… It’s mommy…”

The girl opened her eyes and Steven was right, it was barely noticeable because she was still too young, but the baby did have her eyes, one was green, the other one was blue. Jackie lifted the pink beanie up and she could see her golden-brown hair, she was just so perfect…

“God… Daddy was right, you are beautiful…” She said, and Hyde sat next to his wife on the hospital bed, watching his girls, the adoration was clear on his eyes “I love you so much”

The baby grasped Jackie’s finger and smiled; Jackie couldn’t simply stop staring at her. In this moment, it didn’t matter how much pain she was in, or that she had emergency surgery. She had her baby girl in her arms, whatever happened to her was worth it.

So, so worth it.

“So, what are we naming her?” Hyde asked, tucking a stray strand of Jackie’s hair behind her ear

“You haven’t named her yet?” She asked “You said I was out for two days so I figured…”

“Are you kidding me? What if I chose a name you hated it? I like my shins, Jackie” He said jokingly, and she smiled “Choosing her name without you felt wrong, so I just… I waited for you”

Jackie stayed quiet for a few seconds, staring at her new baby. Then she grinned slightly and looked at her husband "What about… Grace?" 

"Huh…Grace… little Gracie. I like it" He smiled "Why Grace though?"

"Grace means 'thanks', and… well, I’m alive pudding… And I’m so thankful for that" She said, her eyes filling with tears "There's no way I would've let you raise her by your own, she would've end up all manly like Donna"

Hyde felt the back of his eyes burning. Just the thought of living in a world where Jackie doesn't exist… it's too painful. Those last couple of days were the worst of his life, and he's so happy she's okay. He cupped her face and kissed her tenderly on the lips.

"Gracie it is" He broke the kiss and wiped some of her tears "I love you more than anything in this world, Jackie. God, I can't live without you, woman. I meant what I’ve said before, don't you ever scare me like that again" 

"I thought we already had that talk," She said, rubbing her thumbs against his stubbed cheeks "You're stuck with me forever, Steven Hyde"

"Thank God" He said, pulling her for another kiss. Gracie chose that exact moment to raise her little hand and press it against her father's chin. The couple smiled and looked at their new bundle of joy.

"Knock knock" They heard Kitty's voice as she opened the door. Her eyes were reddish, and she was smiling brightly at the couple. She entered the room, followed by a Layla and Dylan. "There's some people here who are crazy wanting to see you" She announced, leaving the room to give them privacy. Jackie passed little Gracie to Hyde's arms, extending hers to embrace her other children.

Layla ran into her mother's waiting arms, and engulfed her on a tight hug, sobbing profusely, while Dylan sheepishly stood next to his father.

Dylan was a lot like Steven. He has his father's curly hair, his eyes, his music taste, his zen… He was a mini version of Hyde. And even though he's only 5 years old, seeing his mother and sister crying made him sad and uncomfortable. He saw so many people crying in the last few days: his aunt Donna, Gramma Kitty, uncle Fez, uncle Eric, aunt Brooke and uncle Kelso. His daddy cried too, and he could swear he even saw Grandpa Red shedding a few tears. He knew they were all crying because his mommy was very sick, his daddy explained to him a while ago that people cry when they are sad, angry or hurt. He doesn't understand why mommy and Layla are crying now.

Hyde, noticing his son's discomfort, placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him an encouraging smile. Dylan carefully approached his mother, who smiled brightly and pulled him to a hug the minute she saw him.

"I love you guys so much" His mother said, covering his and Layla’s faces with kisses

"Mommy, why are you crying? Are you sad?" The boy asked, concerned about his mother

"Oh God no honey, I'm very, _very_ happy" Jackie answered, wiping her tears

"Then why are you crying?" He asked again, confused

"Dylan, remember what daddy told you a while ago?" Hyde said, looking at his son tenderly

"Yeah, you said that people cry when they are sad, angry or hurt." He answered, still not understanding where the conversation is going

"Well, daddy forgot to tell you that people cry when they're happy too. But only when they are very happy" He explained, ruffling his son's hair

"And mommy is very happy" Jackie completed "Because I was sick, and now I'm not anymore."

Dylan smiled and hugged his mother tight "I'm happy you're okay mom, I love you"

"I love you too, baby boy" She answered, kissing her son's forehead

Hyde smiled at the sight in front of him. He loves his family more than anything in the world.

He looked down at Gracie, the family's new member, she opened her eyes and just stared at him.

"Have you guys met your new sister yet?" Jackie asked, extending her arms so Hyde could give her the baby.

"Yeah" Layla answered with a small smile "Daddy introduced us already, she's very cute"

"She's small" Dylan said

"Don’t you guys want to know her name?" Jackie said, and her two children looked questionably at her

Hyde smiled, and sat next to his eldest daughter, who laid her head on his shoulder. He kissed the top of her head.

"So, what's her name?" Dylan asked curiously

"Grace. Little Grace Hyde" Jackie answered and turned to look at her husband "We still have to decide on a middle name though"

Hyde smiled "Yeah, I have something in mind already" 

Jackie looked expectantly at him, and he just smirked, ruffling his daughter's hair before sitting on the bed next to his wife, he ignored Layla's indignant shrieks. She's obsessed with her appearance just like her mother.

Jackie lightly pinched his chest; she was starting to get impatient. He laughed and kissed her.

"Ew!" Dylan protested, and his parents rolled their eyes “Stop doing that in front of me!”

Hyde smirked, and Layla and Jackie both rolled their eyes.

“Mom and dad are in love, Dylan. This is what people do when they are in love” Layla said

“It’s gross” Dylan said

“And I’ll make sure to remind you of that in 10 years” Jackie said, making Hyde laugh slightly

“Mom, are you sure you’re going to be okay?” Layla asked, moving to stand up near her mother’s bed, and Jackie nodded

“I will” She answered, wiping Layla’s tears away “So no more crying over me, okay? I’m fine”

Layla smiled and nodded, and Jackie stared at her husband.

“So?” She said expectantly “Her middle name, Steven. I’m waiting!”

Layla laughed, her mother was back to normal alright, she could sense her parents were about to start their playful bickerings and she wanted to give them some privacy. Her dad suffered a lot in the last couple days, and she wanted to give them both some alone time.

"Okay, uncle Fez said he would take us to have some ice cream with Jordan and aunt Laurie" Layla said, grabbing Dylan’s hand. She went to her mother, hugged her, and so did Dylan "Can we come back later?" She asked her father

"Sure pumpkin" He replied with a small smile

"Love you mom" Layla and Dylan said in unison as they left the room.

"So?" Jackie looked at Hyde. She wants to know what's going to be her baby's middle name, goddammit!

"I'm so glad you're okay," Hyde said, kissing his wife passionately. She smiled into the kiss, but pulled back after things got a little heated.

"Steven, I have a baby in my arms" She laughed "And I'm pretty sure we can't do _that_ for a few weeks. Now, tell me her middle name"

He smiled, she was being bossy already, she's going to be fine. "Well, Gracie means thanks, there’s someone you should thank a lot" He said

She frowned "What do you mean?"

"When you were in surgery and the doctors told me you probably would not survive…" He choked a little with his words, just remembering that day hurts "They said you lost a lot of blood. A lot of it, doll. And they didn't have much stocked in here. The doctor said you probably wouldn't survive without blood transfusions, and out of eight people, someone matched your blood type"

"It was Forman, baby." He said, caressing her face "Forman saved your life. You're not allowed to donate more than one pint of blood, but he whined his way into donating two and a half. He wanted to donate more but he passed out"

Jackie felt the tears running down her face, Eric saved her life. God, he's so scrawny, it probably wasn't even safe for him to do that!

"Is he okay?" She asked 

"Yeah, he's fine. Donna got him some McDonalds all the way from Kenosha so he was ecstatic. He had to spend the night here in observation, and he got discharged in the morning" Hyde answered, wiping her tears away with the pad of his thumb.

"Well I think we have to send him a fruit basket or something" She joked, laughing and crying at the same time "Is he here?"

"Yeah, he’s in the waiting room" He said "Want me to go get him?"

"Tell me her middle name first" She said, smiling

"I was thinking… Erica. What do you think?" He said

"I think it's perfect. Although Grace Erica Hyde sounds odd" She said, frowning a bit

"So, no Erica?" Hyde asked confused

"How about, Erica Grace Hyde?" She suggested "We are still going to call her Gracie though, this is purely for aesthetic reasons" 

Hyde smiled and kissed her forehead; he knew his wife well enough to know that this had nothing to do with aesthetics "I loved it"

“Before you go get him…” She said, looking at her husband “I love you Steven, I love you so much, thank you for giving me a family and being the best husband in the whole world”

He looked at her with a very soft and tender expression, and she grinned at him. He’s so perfect.

“I love you too, Jackie” He said, kissing her forehead “More than anyone could possibly understand”.

The couple shared a tender and sweet kiss, both of them pouring all of their emotions into it. They’ve been through a lot, and they’re probably going to go through a lot more during the rest of their lives, but it was okay. They could get through anything together, and come out even stronger than they were before. Because they’re soulmates, and they’re meant to be.

-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so this was big, dramatic, and heavily inspired in Grey’s Anatomy because I’m addicted to that show since 2014.
> 
> By the way, it’s so fun to write drama scenes! I need to do that more often.
> 
> I also know that this chapter was huge, and I’m sorry about that. I didn’t want to split it in two but I also didn’t want to cut everything, I already had to cut some cute scenes like Eric and Jackie’s moment, because it was getting too damn long. I will probably post the deleted scene on my tumblr soon though, please don’t hate me for that.
> 
> I wanted to focus this chapter mostly on two things: Hyde and Jackie’s healthy relationship and how good of a mother Jackie is. Also, how important she is to everyone’s lives. I mean, have you noticed how close she is to Dylan and Layla?
> 
> Layla tells her everything, including the gossip from school, because she trusts Jackie and values her opinion and advice on things. Their relationship is something special, they are best friends, but Jackie is also a mother, she’s not afraid of telling Layla when she’s wrong, and she can be a really hardass if needed (Hyde is a softie when it comes to Layla, so Jackie has to be the “bad cop” sometimes).
> 
> Dylan’s still a kid, but he loves his mother with all his heart. She smothers him and he likes it (even though he tries to pretend he doesn’t). Jackie and Dylan are kind of like Kitty and Hyde, the only difference is that Dylan is a little more open to his mother than his father was with Kitty. As Hyde says: No one can resist Jackie’s puppy dog eyes, not even their son.
> 
> At this point, Hyde and Jackie have been together for over 15 years (that’s a long ass time), and they are very much in love. Being parents changed them as individuals, but it also changed them as a couple. Honestly some people might say that Hyde acted OOC in this chapter, but I disagree. The possibility of losing Jackie freaked him out, because he can’t imagine himself without her, loving someone does that to you. I can totally see 18 year old Hyde losing his shit if Jackie was in a life-threatening situation, so 34 year old Hyde having a breakdown over this situation is very much justified.
> 
> Anyways, this is it. This was Hyde and Jackie’s journey to having their three kids. I do not plan on ending things here, I am very attached to this universe I’ve created; I will post small one-shots here and there about special moments of Jackie’s pregnancies and bonding moments between the couple and the kids, and I’m also working on a big story that involves the entire gang and their children.
> 
> In fact, I will post a small poll on my Tumblr blog about which one-shot in this universe I should post it first, the most voted one will be published very soon! I also tend to give progress updates on my current WIPs, and I answer all the asks, so feel free to send me a question if you’d like!
> 
> I just want to thank you guys for the amazing comments that I’ve received in the two previous chapters of this story, I’m so glad that you actually liked my story, especially since it has such a special place in my heart. Feel free to leave another comment now, tell me your thoughts about this story, what your favorite moment was, if there’s something you didn’t like and think I should work on, what character do you want to see more of…
> 
> About my two other stories, RYLH and WTLB: I will update them soon!
> 
> I think this is everything! Thank you for reading <3.


End file.
